


Ensuring The Future

by Shouting_at_God_in_Latin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Wars, Friendship, Fuck You Sheev, Hurt and On The Run, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Original Character(s), POV Anakin Skywalker, POV Dooku, POV Mace Windu, POV Obi-Wan Kenobi, POV Quinlan Vos, POV Third Person, POV Yoda, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) Spoilers, Star Wars: the Clone Wars - Freeform, what if the Jedi were actually nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-11-01 07:50:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 79,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20811629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shouting_at_God_in_Latin/pseuds/Shouting_at_God_in_Latin
Summary: What if Obi-Wan had to learn how to keep his consciousness after death before the Clone Wars were over? What if it was either learn or forfeit the Light side of the force for good? When both Yoda and Darth Sidious have a vision of the future, both send reinforcements to Cato Neimoidia. One fleet is sent to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi, the other is to save his life. The fate of the Light requires Obi-Wan to stay alive until years after the end of the Clone Wars, but can he even survive Cato Neimoidia?





	1. Chapter 1

Yoda was in deep meditation.

Of course, this wasn’t uncommon. On the contrary, to hear that Yoda _wasn’t _in deep meditation would be much more surprising. Especially on a day like this one. The temple was quiet and peaceful, which meant the rest of the galaxy was not. So many Jedi needed elsewhere… so many battles raging across the line between Republic and Separatist space.

However, Yoda was _not_ needed elsewhere, so there he was, in deep meditation.

But this particular afternoon _was_ uncommon. Through the Force, Yoda could feel the tension between the Dark and the Light. He could feel its unbalance. Even more, he could feel the violence and pain that resonated through the universe. But behind it all there was something… else. Almost like a mirage—a glimmer of light, far in the distance. In the… future. But Yoda could not focus on it. So, there he sat, for hours, chasing that little spot, weaving in and out of his mind’s eye.

His instincts told him it was important, maybe for no other reason than he had only felt its presence once before… on a strange planet in the middle of a glowing nebula.

Finally, after almost a full day and a half of meditation, the shimmer revealed itself to Yoda. No sooner had it done so, however, another presence became visible as well, a presence he had also felt before.

_Darth Sidious_

Immediately, Yoda’s focus shifted to the Sith Lord. However, the shimmer of light chose that moment to fully reveal itself.

Unbeknownst to both parties, Yoda and Sidious had accidently helped one another unlock this rare vision of the future, and now both would reap the benefits.

_There was a boy. The symbol of Light, of hope, of love and compassion. He stood, sometimes alone, against legions upon legions of Darkness. He would reign victorious. But behind him stood another figure. A herald, a guide, a…protector, who would keep him safe, who would lead him to the light, and would send him on this righteous path. But who? The vision became slightly clearer, and all there was was a face. A face, and a name._

Yoda’s eyes shot open as he was ripped from his meditate state, with nothing but a blinding light and the sound of that name.

…

Mace Windu was just about ready to let himself sleep. His troops were all off duty, his reports were all filed, and Yoda was in meditation and wouldn’t need his counsel for hours.

Lying on his back, Mace closed his eyes. It was getting harder and harder to sleep. The war seemed to have that effect on everyone in the Temple. He tried to put his mind at rest. Slowly, he felt himself drift off.

But then he was awake with a gasp. Sitting straight up, Mace tried to comprehend what he had just experienced.

It was as though a shot ran out through the force. It had felt like a cry out in pain. Or maybe shock. All Mace knew was it was _Yoda_.

Mace was out of bed and out the door in an instant. What could have happened to make his friend cry out through the force like that? Did he even know he had done it? Was he being attacked? _How could he have been attacked? _Thought Mace, _he’s in the Temple_.

Mace turned a corner, headed for the meditation room. Mundi appeared at his right, clearly coming from the archives, having felt the cry as well.

“What is it?” Mundi asked as they ran together.

As though Mace was supposed to have any idea.

The two Jedi burst through the doors of the meditation room and looked around. At first it appeared empty.

“Master Yoda!” Mundi cried.

The two ran around Yoda’s usual seat and knelt on the floor next to Master Yoda, who had apparently fallen off his seat and appeared unconscious.

Master Windu gingerly picked up his friend and placed him on his meditation seat. He looked to Master Mundi.

“Get a medic droid.”

But before Mundi could move to stand, Yoda coughed, and his eyes shot open.

“Obi-Wan.”

Mace and Mundi exchanged looks of confusion. After all, neither of them even vaguely resembled Master Kenobi.

“No Master,” said Mundi, “It’s Mace and Ki-Abi.”

“Know this, I do,” said Yoda, pushing himself up to a sitting position, “but in grave danger, Obi-Wan is.”

Windu and Mundi exchanged looks. As far as they knew, Obi-Wan wasn’t in any more danger than he usually was. Less so, even: his battle on Cato Neimoidia was bound for success. In fact, he would have returned weeks ago, but Obi Wan refused to take even one casualty on such an easy mission.

“You know this for sure?”

Yoda nodded, “mmm,” he started, gravely, “a vision of the future, I saw. Stop at nothing to see Obi-Wan killed, Sidious will.”

“_Sidious?_” Mundi exclaimed. “Darth Sidious himself wants Obi-Wan killed?”

“Protect him, we must. Send him help, we will.”

Mace nodded, “If what you’re saying is true, his battalion won’t be enough. We can send him another—”

“—Enough, another battalion will not be. Jedi, we must send. Go to Cato Neimoidia, I will as well.”

“_You_? Master Yoda are you sure you’re up to travel?”

“The strength for this, I have. Go, we must. But additional help we will need. Send for Master Plo Koon on Kuat, we will. Get there faster, he can.”

“Master Koon is waiting for a large attack,” Mace reminded Yoda.

“Diverted to Neimoidia, the assault will be. Move quickly, we must. At stake, the future of the Light is.”

Mace and Mundi exchanged another fruitless look. It seemed so far-fetched, that the separatists would divert so much force to kill a single Jedi… and yet when had Yoda ever steered them wrong?

“I’ll ready my men,” said Mundi.

“I’ll get in touch with Master Koon. And I should warn Master Kenobi as well.”

“Mmm,” Yoda said in agreement. “Make haste, we must. Too late, we may already be.”

…

Commander Cody had never had so much fun. When the General had told the 212th he was going to extend what should have been an hour-long assault into a two weeklong endeavor, the men got a bit riled. They wanted a fight.

But after the first day they understood what the General was getting at.

The separatists had set up a small base above a major City on Neimoidia. It held mostly intelligence, as well as a few new prototypes of brand-new droids. Going slowly meant they could learn the weaknesses of each of these prototypes, while losing no men.

The separatists were boxed in. There was nothing they could do but watch. And all Cody’s clone brothers had to do was creatively blow the shit out of some brand-new clankers.

They were having the time of their lives.

But all good things must come to an end, and today was that day. The General was leading the final strike to recapture the Neimoidia territory and hopefully capture Trench, the separatist general inside.

Cody crouched behind a speeder with Waxer, covering the General, when his transmitter went off.

“Someone’s popular!” Waxer shouted over the battle.

Who could be calling him? Cody didn’t know of anyone who would need him who wasn’t fighting in the same battle he was.

Cody checked to make sure the General could get along without him, then flipped on his communicator and knelt to the side.

It was General Windu. General Windu? Calling him?

“Commander Cody,” Windu said.

“Yes sir.”

“I need a status on General Kenobi.”

Cody glanced at the General. He was still leading the charge into the compound. But he didn’t look at all harmed. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying himself as much as Cody’s fellow Clones.

“He’s leading the charge on the compound, physically unharmed.”

Did General Windu look relieved? He knew how simple their mission was, didn’t he?

“Is everything alright sir?” Cody asked.

“Unfortunately, no, I’m afraid you have to fall back, Commander.”

“Come again, sir?”

“Retreat, Commander. That’s an order. I can’t explain it now but it’s imperative Master Kenobi get away from any Separatist fleet.”

Cody couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“How far should we retreat sir?”

“Off world. Return to Coruscant _immediately_. Time is of the essence.”

Coruscant? _Coruscant?_ Cody didn’t understand. They wanted to let this base go _entirely_? Despite how easy it would be to capture; despite everything they had already learned? 

But Cody couldn’t argue with a direct order.

“Yes sir. I’ll tell the General.”

“Tell him Yoda himself is ordering this.”

“Yes sir.”

General Windu ended the call. Cody’s head was spinning. He was so confused by the conversation he hadn’t even realized the fight was over.

“Sleeping, Commander?” Waxer joked.

Cody stood and scanned the field for the General. He was standing by the door to the main building in the camp, examining its ray shield.

“Alright men,” Cody heard him say as he approached, “get out the cables, we’ll have to redirect the current to get inside.”

“Hold on General,” Cody called.

“Everything alright?”

“I’m afraid General Windu just ordered our retreat, sir.”

The men didn’t like that. There were cries of outrage through the ranks. General Kenobi gave Cody a confused look.

“Leave? Now? Are you sure you heard him correct?”

“He said it was imperative we get back to Coruscant.”

“Back to Coruscant!” Boil exclaimed, “we’re leaving the _system_?”

General Kenobi looked just as confused.

“Did he say why?”

“No sir. But he did mention the order actually came from General Yoda.”

“Yoda?”

“Yes sir. He also said time was of the essence.”

The General looked back up at the compound they had been so close to taking.

“Very well,” he sighed. “ready the speeders.”

The men couldn’t help but show their disappointment, and General Kenobi noticed.

“Don’t worry men, we’ll be back as soon as we figure out what this is all about.”

Their shuttles that would take them back up to their destroyer was outside of what was once Separatist territory (of course, Separatist territory had been getting smaller and smaller the longer the 212th had been on planet). They didn’t want their shuttles to get destroyed and become stuck on the planet, so they were a bit out of the way. 

Cody mounted the gunner position next to the General. Cody could tell he was nervous. What was so urgent on Coruscant that required them to drop everything and return? Were all council members being called back? As they sped off, Cody noticed the General was pushing the gas a bit more that usual.

They were about halfway to the shuttles when the first shot went off.

“What the—”

Cody looked behind him to see a small fleet of droids in hot pursuit.

“Well this has been a day of surprises,” said the General, “why would Trent try to stop our retreat?”

It _did_ seem foolish. Especially if this was all the droids they had to spare. The 212th outnumber them five to one.

“Stand and fight,” General Kenobi ordered.

The speeders turned and the 212th began to rip the small legion of droids to shreds.

The droids were almost completely destroyed when the General’s speeder exploded.

“General!” Cody and Barlex lunged to protect the General, who had been shot off his feet and fallen prone.

Barlex covered them while Cody knelt beside the General.

“I’m alright,” he said.

Cody was pretty sure he meant it. Just slightly singed from standing too close to the explosion.

“What hit me?” asked the General.

_Good question._

Cody looked around. The shot couldn’t have come from the droids attacking them, it was too big of a missile for any of the weaponry they had. But looking around, Cody didn’t see any other unfriendlies.

The General got back to his feet, but he seemed as confused at Cody was.

“Boil!” Cody shouted.

Boil looked over from where he was standing a few feet behind them.

“Did you see what hit the General’s speeder?”

“Looked like a shock cannon!” Boil shouted back, “but I didn’t see where it came from!”

“But that’s not possible!”

Boil wasn’t listening anymore, even the General seemed to think it must have come from the droids in front of them. But they didn’t have any shock cannons. The only way they could have used a shock cannon was from a full-fledged tank. It was either that or…

A horrible realization settled over Cody. Against his better judgement, he looked up to the sky above them.

“Destroyers!” he shouted.

The General followed his gaze, he seemed as shocked as Cody was.

“Retreat!” he shouted.

The 212th clambered onto their speeders (Cody hitched a ride on the back of Waxer’s and the General on Barlex’s) and the sped towards a ridge that would give them some cover.

“Now we actually _need_ to retreat,” muttered Cody, “and we can’t.”

The Separatist destroyer was sending landing parties _right_ in their path.

“Why would the separatists send _this_ place reinforcements?” Boil muttered when they reached the ridge.

But Cody had a sinking feeling that this wasn’t about the base anymore. He remembered General Windu’s look of relief when he heard General Kenobi was unharmed… and the order… not for the 212th to get away from Separatist controlled territory, but for _the General_ to get away from the battle. All that and the fact that it had been _General Kenobi’s_ speeder to explode… Cody didn’t like how this was adding up.

“Sir!” Waxer shouted over the battle, “things just got a lot worse!”

“How could this get worse?!” the General responded.

Waxer was staring through a pair of macrobinoculars at the destroyer above them.

“Unless I’m wrong… that’s… That’s Grievous’s ship, sir.”

Cody took the macrobinoculars and looked at the ship. Waxer wasn’t mistaken. Cody would recognize it anywhere.

“Grievous!” he shouted, “why is he here?!”

“We have to retreat,” said the General. “Cody, do we have anything big enough to blow the side of that ravine wall?”

“We’ve got a shoulder cannon that should do the trick, sir.”

“That should stop our new friends from landing right away. If we can get past them to our shuttle, we can escape.”

“Yes sir.”

The first half of the plan worked beautifully. Cody mounted the cannon to his shoulder and fired at the ravine wall. Just as the General had imagined, the Separatist shuttles flew back up into the air to avoid being destroyed by the proceeding avalanche

Cody through away the shoulder mount and grabbed onto Waxer as he streamed by on a speeder.

The 212th shot over the fallen debris and past the shuttles full of droids.

The droids had no chance of catching up to them, they had fallen too far behind. Cody held on for dear life behind Waxer on a seat that was designed for one. He couldn’t see anything, but he trusted Waxer to know where they were going. As Cody felt them turn into the alcove where they had landed their shuttle, he felt Waxer take a sharp intake of breath before the speeder came to a sudden stop and Cody’s unstable grip was broken.

Cody went flying forward, despite Waxer’s efforts to catch him. He hit the dirt hard, tumbling several feet before finally coming to a stop.

His helmet was all screwed up. He couldn’t see a thing. He heard the ignition of a lightsaber and threw his helmet off to see what they were fighting.

He did not have to look very far.

Their shuttle wasn’t a shuttle anymore, just the flaming remanence of one. And the lightsaber Cody had heard had not been the Generals. Cody had had the bad luck of tumbling right at the feet of General Grievous.

Grievous’s mechanical, claw-like foot closed over Cody’s chest.

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move. Grievous laughed as Cody clawed at the foot, trying to break its grip.

“Goodnight _clone_”

Grievous swung down at Cody with a green lightsaber. Cody closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, but instead he heard a familiar clashing sound.

Cody looked up again to see the General standing above him, lightsaber drawn, a snarl on his face. He pushed Grievous backwards, making him release the grip he had on Cody.

Cody scrambled out of the way, coughing and sputtering. Then Waxer was there. He grabbed Cody and shoved him behind a speeder, out of harm’s way.

Cody let himself take a few seconds to cough and realign his breathing. Once his chest started working normally, he looked around.

He didn’t like what he saw. The droids outnumbered them ten to one. They were surrounded. There weren’t even any enemy shuttles they could try and steal, they had no way out of the small ravine where they had first landed. No way off the _planet_ even if there were. The 212th hid behind their speeders, trying their best to cover the General as he took on Grievous alone.

He wasn’t sure how long they fought like that. Just a small knot of clones against Grievous’s armada. Grievous and General Kenobi flew through the battlefield, wreaking havoc. Cody couldn’t quite tell who was winning, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

But then, yes, almost a half a dozen shuttles flew across the sky. Reinforcements. It had to be. The Jedi council had sent them help.

It gave the 212th new hope. They formed a wall, shooting down as many droids as they could. It even seemed to have an effect on the General.

Grievous dived in for the kill, and the Jedi Master side stepped, turning and cutting off the robotic hand. The hand and the light saber went flying, coming to a stop at Cody’s feet. Cody picked it up. You never know when you might need a lightsaber.

Grievous growled, jumping backwards to avoid the General’s next blow. He jumped right in between the 212thand his droid army. The droids stopped firing, clearly not wanting to hurt their General. Grievous took out two more lightsabers and ignited them.

“Dooku sent you on this small of an errand, Grievous?” the General taunted, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

_He’s playing for time_, Cody thought. Cody glanced upwards.

Grievous must not have seen the shuttles that had passed over the ravine. Any minute now they would circle back around and land, and the 212th could escape.

Grievous laughed mechanically, coughing slightly at the end. “Why general,” he responded, whirling his two lightsabers, “you have no idea how important this mission really is.”

Before anyone could wonder what Grievous meant by that, the shuttles arrived.

_Finally_, Cody thought. He was just about to order his men to the shuttles when they opened.

_No, no, no!_ the 212th battalion watched in horror as more droids came piling out of the ships.

More droids? _More droids?!_ What could the Separatists possibly want on this planet that they were willing to send so many droids to protect it?

The 212th formed a tight knot in the center of what had to be an army of hundreds of droids. Cody stood next to the General, blaster at the ready. He glanced to his side, wondering what the General was thinking.

He looked like Cody felt. Confused, dejected, but there was also a glint of stubbornness in his eyes that told Cody they were going to fight anyway. 

Just as the General lifted his lightsaber to face Grievous again, however, the last Separatist shuttle landed directly in front of them and the doors swung open to reveal a lone figure.

Cody almost dropped his blaster. It couldn’t be. It made no sense. _It couldn’t be_.

“_Dooku?_” The General exclaimed. “What… what are _you_ doing here.”

The Sith Lord smiled slightly. “Master Kenobi,” he said, “so surprised to see me? And here I thought this was going to be challenging. That Master Yoda would share his discovery with his council.”

He took out his light saber and ignited it.

Cody looked back at the General. His eyes were darting back and forth between Dooku and Grievous. He shifted stances twice in a span of a few seconds.

“You look tired, Kenobi,” said the Sith. “You should have joined me those years ago on Geonosis. You would have been spared this fate.”

The General seemed to deflate. He looked around at his men, at the army of droids that surrounded them, and he sighed.

With a soft shhink, he turned off his lightsaber and stood up straight. He let the weapon drop to the ground.

“I surrender.”

Cody couldn’t believe what was happening. Just a few minutes ago the 212th had been about to take over a Separatist base with zero casualties. Now, four men lay dead on the ground already, and the rest were forced to follow their general’s lead and place their weapons on the ground.

“How noble of you,” Dooku said, stepping closer to General Kenobi, “but my orders do not concern your _surrender_. They concern your _extermination_.”

Cody didn’t know how the General survived the first strike. But suddenly he was lunging towards his lightsaber, getting it ignited just in time to block Dooku’s next attack.

But now the General was vulnerable, with his back towards Grievous, who seemed more than happy to take this opportunity.

_NO!_ Cody thought. He lunged forward, taking out the green lightsaber he had grabbed earlier and blocking Grievous’s attack.

Mother. Of. A Wookie. That was a mistake. Cody’s whole arm went numb with the shock of the outstanding force that hit him. His whole body shook as the dreaded cyborg bore down on him. He fell to one knee, unable to keep it up, but knowing Grievous would kill him and the General if he let go.

It was the General that saved him. Somehow, he shook off Dooku long enough to turn and push Grievous away with the Force. He then promptly snatched the lightsaber out of Cody’s hand and elbowed him to the side.

It’s okay, Cody knew it was out of love.

He landed in the dirt. Again. Cody was getting_real_ familiar with Neimoidian dirt.

He scrambled to his feet, grabbing his gun. But as soon as he had the chance to look around, he knew they were dead.

There were too many droids. The 212th made a tight ring in the center, but they couldn’t include the general, who was in the midst of the most hectic lightsaber battle Cody had ever laid eyes on.

How the General was still alive was beyond comprehension. Cody had never been one to underestimate the Jedi Master, but this was an extreme.

Again, for what felt like hours, General Kenobi fought a terrifying lightsaber battle. It was as though he was fighting two separate fights with his two lightsabers. At one point, the General threw Grievous away from him with the Force, returning the battle to a one-on-one fight. Still not great, considering the other “one” was Dooku. But better.

But Grievous didn’t stay down long. He sprung up on all fours like some kind of mechanical spider and scuttered back to the fight.

This was Cody’s chance. He searched his pocket for a thermal detonator. Thank the Force, he had one left. He activated it and hurled it in Grievous’s path.

He hit his mark. The droid general flew backwards yet again with a roar of indignation.

“FIRE ON GRIEVOUS!” Cody hollered to Waxer and Boil, who fought beside him.

The three clones focused their fire on the cyborg, trying their hardest to keep him from their general.

That’s when Cody heard the ships.

_No, no, no_, he thought, _they couldn’t possibly have sent _more _droids_. 

He was right. They hadn’t sent more droids.

A fleet of ships plowed over the 212th and opened fire on the army of clankers surrounding them.

The 212th cheered. Cody looked up to get a better look at the ships bearing down on the ravine. Cody would recognize those ships anywhere. Wolfpack. Plo Koon had come to the rescue.

Even better, the explosions had separated Dooku and the General. Dooku lunged towards droid army near the wall of the ravine while the General had to jump back in the opposite direction, towards Cody and the other clones.

But where Dooku stood up immediately and started deflecting the rainfall of blaster fire coming from the ships that had intercepted them, General Kenobi did not rise from all fours.

Waxer and Boil seemed to notice the same thing. The three of them rushed to the side of their General.

“Sir!” Cody knelt next to the General, looking for a wound of any kind.

Nothing seemed wrong… Cody realized the General wasn’t wounded, he was exhausted. Gasping for air and shaking, the Jedi Master seemed to have finally reached his limit.

“Cover me!” he yelled to Waxer and Boil.

Cody strapped his gun to his belt, grabbed the General’s lightsaber, put one of the General’s arms around his neck, and hefted him off the ground, guiding him over to a small cluster of rocks where they could take cover.

Waxer and Boil stood on either side of them, shooting any droid that came too close.

Cody set the General down, he seemed better – more aware of his surroundings. He nodded slightly at Cody, as if afraid if he opened his mouth he’d vomit.

He definitely looked like he needed to vomit. 

Cody took out his blaster and looked behind them, to see if they could expect an attack from that direction.

Not likely. Cody hadn’t even realized how close they were to the side of a cliff. Peaking over the edge, he could see one of the major cities on Cato Neimoidia…but he couldn’t remember which one. It wasn’t that big of a cliff, maybe forty feet to the top of the tallest building—much less if you counted the air traffic, but no droids would be able to sneak up on them that way.

“Commander!” Boil called.

Cody looked over at the fight.

The 212th had scattered. Some taking cover, some joining Wolfpack in the attack. Two speeders were managing to keep Dooku occupied. But that wasn’t what Boil was trying to tell him.

He had been so preoccupied to find Dooku, Cody forgot that Grievous was still in play.

The cyborg had seen better days. With one hand cut off, and a plethora of bullet holes and scorch marks from the clone’s attack, he looked even more horrifying than usual. He took out two lightsabers, igniting them both and staring at the three clones and their exhausted general.

“Cody,” breathed the General, “my lightsaber.”

Cody took the lightsaber from his belt and handed it to General. With a jolt, he realized he had forgotten to grab the second lightsaber Master Kenobi had been using.

The General rose to his feet and ignited his lightsaber once again. Waxer and Boil moved in closer, weapons at the ready. Cody lifted his own. Compared to Dooku, Grievous should be an easy target. Right?

They never found out. Before either party could strike first, a speeder came hurtling at Grievous from behind.

Even exhausted, the General had the quickest reflexes. He pushed Cody to the side, then lunged in the opposite direction, tackling Waxer and Boil on his way down.

Cody just looked back in time to see the speeder crash into Grievous from behind, crushing him into the ground and straight off the cliff.

Cody scuttered to the edge. The droid general had fallen about halfway towards the city when he was hit by a bus ship and carried off. He wasn’t dead, but it would be a while before he would be able to rejoin the fight.

The speeder’s hatch opened, and Master Koon clamored out.

“Master Obi-Wan.”

“Master Plo, am I glad to see you,”

General Koon held out his hand and helped the General to his feet. Together they ignited their lightsabers and went to battle. Cody stayed close to the generals as they blocked blaster shots and destroyed droids.

“What the blazes is going on?” asked Koon through the battle.

“You’re asking me?!” said the General. “I was just minding my own business when the entire war decided to descend upon my head!”

“I’m surprised you were not forced to surrender.”

“I _did _surrender, but they attacked us anyway. Dooku said something about—”

“_Dooku?_” said Plo Koon, “_here?_”

“You didn’t _know_?”

There was an explosion as one of the speeders attacking Dooku went spiraling out of control and hit the side of the ravine.

“I do now.”

“We have to go,” said the General, “the two of us might be enough to fight Dooku alone, but Grievous is sure to return. We’re out matched.”

“We will never make it back to the ship,” said Master Plo, “they have forces in the upper atmosphere. We got past them, but I do not think they were expecting a strike from off-planet, they are definitely there to stop us from leaving.”

“My destroyer’s in atmosphere. If we could get to that—”

“I’m afraid not anymore, my friend.”

“What?”

“We saw your destroyer on the way in, or at least what was left of it.”

“It’s destroyed?!”

“I assumed you were on board, and these were the forces that had survived in escape pods.”

“This doesn’t make any sense! Why won’t Dooku let us retreat? … or surrender…”

“What is it?”

“Dooku mentioned that he had orders to kill me,” the General confessed, “when I surrendered.”

“Orders? You think Sidious is involved?”

“I don’t know. But why would Sidious have a sudden interest in _me_?”

“Sir,” Cody interjected, “when I got the orders to retreat, General Windu told me it was imperative _you_ get away from any separatist space.”

“Not the 212th?”

“No sir, he said _you._”

Neither Jedi said anything. It was common for Jedi to be hunted down, after all the Separatists had a million credits for anyone able to bring in a Jedi dead or alive, but never before had a Jedi been singled out like this. Especially not by Sidious himself.

Before either Jedi could offer another plan of action, the second speeder that had been diverting Dooku’s attention burst an engine and began spiraling out of control. Clones and droids ran for cover as the ship crashed right in the middle of the battlefield.

The hatch burst open and Commander Wolffe came tumbling out, gasping and coughing.

Cody ran up and pulled him out of the way. They got clear of the wreckage just in time to see Dooku climb over the smoking ship and stop in front of the two Jedi Generals.

“Master Plo Koon,” said Dooku, “I am impressed at your speedy arrival.”

General Koon stepped forward slightly. Was its Cody’s imagination, or was he attempting to block General Kenobi from the Sith Lord’s view?

“Surrender Count,” said General Koon, “you are outnumbered.”

That was not at all true. The droids still outnumbered the clones at least fifteen to one. But Cody assumed General Koon was talking about Jedi verses Sith. As long as the Generals could keep defeat Dooku, they stood a chance.

Of course, no one had ever beaten Dooku before…

The Count smiled, “I wouldn’t be so sure, Master Jedi.”

He moved so fast Cody couldn’t even register what had happened. One moment Dooku and Master Koon were standing a few feet apart, then they were right on top of each other.

Dooku blocked a strike by Master Koon, but instead of striking back, Dooku lunged at General Kenobi. The General blocked the blow and Master Koon struck again. But Dooku simply pushed him away again and went after the General. It was the strangest battle Cody had ever seen. Dooku only seemed to acknowledge Master Plo Koon’s existence when he needed to block a strike from him. His soul focus was on Master Kenobi.

Meanwhile, Cody and Wolffe led the strike against the clone army, but honestly Cody couldn’t see the point. The battle would have been risky with a Jedi on their side. But the Jedi they had with them were a bit preoccupied. Maybe if the Generals could win quickly…

“What do you think?” said Wolffe at his side. Clearly, he was having the same thought process as Cody.

“I think I’ve never seen General Kenobi so worn down.”

Probably not the best thing for morale, but it was honest. Cody wasn’t sure how much more his beloved general could take.

Time became irrelevant. Cody’s reality became shooting one droid, then another, then another. He kept one eye on the General at all times. Every time he took a hard fall, or Dooku threw Master Koon out of the fight, Cody thought it was over. But the General always managed to regain his footing, block a blow, or dive out of the way just in time.

Cody realized this was the first time he had seen the General fight for his life, not for a base or civilians or his men. It was with that thought that Cody completely lost hope.

“Look!” shouted Reed.

Cody followed his gaze; dozens of shuttles were headed straight towards the battle.

“Reinforcements,” said Wolffe, “it has to be.”

“Theirs or ours?” said Cody.

Wolffe looked at him, “what could they possibly need with more droids?”

“Hey, I thought Dooku was reinforcements at first.”

“It’s Yoda!” cried Waxer, looking through macrobinoculars.

Cody’s heart skipped a beat. Yoda? If that was true, they could actually win this fight. Cody took out his own macrobinoculars and looked at the ships.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Cody dropped his macrobinoculars and looked at the fleet approaching them. It _was_ Yoda. And Windu. And Mundi. They were saved.


	2. Chapter 2

Obi Wan couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. He had never been more exhausted. His body screamed in protest every time he moved, much less blocked one of Dooku’s powerful blows. He had been fighting too hard for too long, and he was never given a moment to catch his breath.

Of course, he had fought harder fights before, but Anakin had always been by his side. If Obi-Wan needed to stop for a moment, he always could. The same went for Anakin. In fact, they worked so well as a team, they knew when the other would need a second or two and would take the heat of the fight.

But this fight was different. With Grievous and Dooku, it was obvious Obi-Wan couldn’t take a moment to realign his thoughts, but Master Plo, despite his best efforts, was not helping very much.

Dooku still bore down on him with unrelenting force.

The fight soon stopped becoming about winning, and became about surviving the next blow, and the next, and the next.

He was using every bit of training and instinct he had. He was losing.

Dooku blocked a strike from Master Plo and threw Obi-Wan back with a Force push.

Obi-Wan flew backwards ten feet and landed hard on his back. The wind was knocked out of him. He turned to his side, gasping for air, trying to blink away the stars that were obscuring his vision.

It was at that moment when he realized he wasn’t holding his lightsaber.

He shook the dizziness from his head and looked around. His lightsaber had landed about two feet to his left. He reached out his hand, but the weapon was already moving. It shot behind Obi-Wan into the hands of Count Dooku.

Obi-Wan tried to get to his feet, but he just didn’t have the strength. If he could have had just a moment, just a few seconds to regain his breathing… But no. Dooku was soon on top of him.

“I am truly sorry,” Dooku sighed, “I wish Qui-Gon’s memory could have been honored through you just a bit longer.”

The mention of his old master lit a spark of anger in Obi-Wan. He tried to push Dooku away with the Force, but Dooku kicked him, breaking his concentration.

He lay prone, unable to move. Obi-Wan noticed the sun was beginning to set. It had been mid-morning when the 212thhad been told to retreat. No wonder he was so tired.

Dooku raised his lightsaber for the kill, this time Obi-Wan didn’t even try to stop it. He had no more strength left in him.

“Noooo!”

And there was Master Plo. He blocked the Count’s blow and knelt over Obi-Wan, light saber at the ready, prepared to die at his side.

And he would have if it weren’t for the ships. Obi-Wan hadn’t heard them arrive, and by the looks on their faces, neither had Plo or Dooku.

The first shuttle hovered inches off the ground a few feet from them. Clone troopers rushed out of the open doors and past Obi-Wan and Plo Koon. But a lone figure simply hopped to the ground and confronted the group before him.

Obi-Wan could have cried tears of joy. _Yoda_. For the first time since Dooku arrived, Obi-Wan thought he might actually survive this experience.

“Master Yoda,” said Dooku.

“Count Dooku. Lost, you have. Complete Sidious’s orders, today you will not.”

_Sidious’s orders._ So Dooku was here under the orders of the Dark Lord. But why? What exactly were his orders? To kill Obi-Wan? And if so, why him?

“I have lost nothing,” Dooku growled. “My troops will finish my task, while I finish you.”

“Not today, my old padawan.”

Yoda unsheathed his lightsaber and attacked the Count.

Their fighting was just as terrible and brilliant as Obi-Wan remembered from their dual on Geonosis. All he could see were flashes of red and green as Master Yoda and Count Dooku attempted to cut the other to shreds.

Obi-Wan did not watch the fight for long. Master Plo grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. After making sure Obi-Wan had a secure grip, he held out his hand to collect Obi-Wan’s lightsaber from where Dooku had dropped it, and half helped, half carried Obi-Wan away from the battle.

Plo gently placed him down at the same rock pile Cody had done so. Obi-Wan took back his lightsaber but didn’t ignite it. What was the point? If anything, it would just draw unwanted attention.

Plo seemed to have given himself the position of Obi-Wan’s personal guard. He knelt next to him, deflecting any stray blasts that came within a few feet of their hideout.

Obi-Wan wasn’t complaining. He put his trust in Master Plo and rested his head on the ground, closing his eyes and trying to regain his strength.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like this, but eventually something shifted in the force around him, something Master Plo didn’t seem aware of.

Obi-Wan was up on one knee like a shot, lightsaber drawn and ignited, and at the throat of a figure that had just dropped at their side from a ledge above.

Master Plo whirled to see what happened, but before he could raise his own lightsaber Obi-Wan had already extinguished his.

“Mace,” he said, allowing himself to fall back into a sitting position.

“Obi-Wan,” Master Windu said, placing a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, “thank goodness you’re alive.”

Obi-Wan grabbed his friend’s arm, “What. Is. Happening.”

“It’s a long story. We’ll explain on Coruscant. But right now, we have to get you out of here.”

“Do you have a ship?” asked Master Plo

“Yes. Sorry we took so long, but we had to destroy the blockade Dooku had created, or we’d become trapped.”

“Help me get him to a shuttle.”

Obi-Wan decided to let his friends take the lead. Plo helped him to his feet while Mace lead the way, destroying any droid that came to close.

But once they left their hiding place that become a much harder job than anticipated.

Again, this was a very odd experience for Obi-Wan. Usually, droids shot at whoever was closest. They had equal killing nature towards clones and Jedi. But now, whenever a droid caught sight of him, they reverted their efforts to killing him.

And honestly, Obi-Wan was getting tired of it.

Mace couldn’t keep up with the constant attacks. Eventually they had to pull back against the ravine wall to avoid being surrounded.

Plo had his lightsaber drawn, but because he was supporting Obi-Wan, all he could do was deflect blasts.

Granted, they still had Mace Fucking Windu. They were under no circumstances _losing_ the fight. But they _were_ having a hard time _winning_ it.

Just when Obi-Wan became worried this would become a perpetual stale mate, a cry arose to his left.

“To the General!”

And suddenly part of the 212th battalion was back at his side. Shooting the droids down and given them some breathing room.

Cody ran up to Obi-Wan, but his first words were to Master Plo Koon.

“I can take him, sir.”

Obi-Wan allowed his support to be switched from Master Plo’s shoulder to Commander Cody’s. Now, with two Jedi free to fight and a half a dozen clones, they had no problems cutting through the enemy ranks.

Mace led them along the cliffside. Obi-Wan assumed they had parked a shuttle on the other side of the ravine wall, away from the fight. He leaned heavily on Cody, squinting through the darkness that had now completely swallowed them.

Obi-Wan looked back over his shoulder to the fight they were leaving behind.

Master Yoda and Count Dooku were still fighting with terrifying speed. Although, Obi-Wan noticed the Count was giving more and more ground, attacking less and less.

_He’s tired_, thought Obi-Wan. It made him feel a little better.

Master Mundi led the rest of the clone troops against ever thinning droid armada.

Even though he liked what he saw, something in the back of his mind made him uneasy. There was a piece missing to this picture. He knew that, but in his state, he couldn’t put a finger on what it was.

They turned the corner of the ridge and there was a ship. But not just a ship.

There was the missing piece. In all the action against Dooku, they had forgotten about Grievous.

“_Grievous?_” Mace exclaimed.

Obi-Wan and Plo had forgotten to tell the new arrivals about Grievous. Maybe if they had, Mace would have scouted ahead first.

The droid general had not only managed to climb his way back up to the fight, but he had found their means of escape and had gathered fifty some odd droids to fight them.

Both Windu and Plo raised their weapons. The members of the 212th converged into one armored fist around Obi-Wan and Cody.

“Master Windu,” Grievous sneered, “I am afraid you have something that belongs to me.”

With a jolt Obi-Wan realized Grievous was referring to _him_. Obi-Wan slid his arm from around Cody’s neck and ignited his lightsaber. He could stand being blown up and shot at, he could stand his own commander having to come to his rescue in a lightsaber duel, he could even stand letting his fellow Jedi put themselves in danger while he lay in a corner. But he would _not _stand being referred to as _Grievous’s_ property.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to _Grievous_,” he said, raising his lightsaber, “but I can assure you we want nothing of _yours_.”

He felt stronger than he had felt in hours. Having his men around him gave him strength. He felt ready for a fight. And Grievous seemed more than happy to give him one.

Grievous lunged at him, but Windu and Plo Koon jumped into his path and threw him backwards. The droids began to fire, which prompted the 212th to attack. Obi-Wan deflected any shots that came in his direction. Usually, he would try to keep the fire away from his men as well, but it was pointless to do so this time: no one was aiming for his men.

Grievous was no match for two members of the Jedi Council, and he knew it. He kept a steady retreat, clearly thinking his droids could do the work for him.

He wasn’t completely delusional there. The small section of the 212th that had managed to detangle themselves from the main fight found themselves woefully outgunned. Obi-Wan soon realized defending himself wouldn’t be enough, he was going to have to fight the droids while his fellow Jedi took care of Grievous.

He started with the Droidekas. Obi-Wan blocked a single blast, reeled his lightsaber, and lunged forward. He deflected the shots from the first Droideka, side-stepping that of the second, and sunk his light saber through both their shields, one after another. He then sliced through three more battle droids before any of the others could start shooting at him.

His men cheered. Cody leapt forward, appearing at his side. They stood back to back, Obi-Wan could feel him chuckling.

“Something funny?” he asked, cutting down another droid.

“You’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days, General.”

Obi-Wan smiled. He turned his head slightly to make eye contact with Cody.

That was a mistake. He felt a blinding-hot pain in his left arm. He cried out and dropped to his knees.

“General!”

Obi-Wan grabbed his arm. He willed himself not to fall unconscious. If he fell unconscious it would be all over. How could he be so careless? Not to remember that this was not a normal fight, that everyone, _everyone_, was firing at him, regardless who was closer to them.

His men formed a protective wall around him again. Obi-Wan screwed his eyes closed with the pain. He had to get up. He couldn’t remain defenseless like this: on his knees, clutching his injury. That’s when he heard Grievous laugh.

Obi-Wan looked up through the pain just in time to see Master Plo Koon thrown against the hull of their ship. When he didn’t get up, Obi Wan realized what was wrong:

His Antiox mask had been ripped off. Obi Wan knew he couldn’t survive long like that.

What was worse, the droids seemed to be just smart enough to realize that Master Koon was, A) not already dead and B) vulnerable. Obi-Wan attempted to stand, to help his friend, but he couldn’t.

Luckily, Mace got there in time. Using the Force to push Grievous away, he stood over the prone Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and willed himself to stand and fight.

But it wouldn’t do any good. As Obi-Wan stood, Grievous jumped in front of him.

The pain in his arm was distracting him, as was his utter exhaustion. He just couldn’t fight Grievous. Not again. Not today. He retreated, walking slowly backwards, towards the end of the cliff.

Grievous perused him, laughing. He didn’t seem all that worried. Obi-Wan couldn’t blame him.

He looked to his men, who were stretched so thin. Clearly as exhausted as he was, surrounded by droids. He looked at Mace, taking out as many droids as possible, while not straying too far from Plo’s side. And Plo, who would not survive another five minutes without his Antiox mask.

Obi-Wan was at the edge of the cliff. He looked down to the city below, realizing it wasn’t that far down from that point of the ridge. The top of the nearest building was probably a twenty-foot drop… as for the speeders that sped by in normal air traffic, some came up as close as five feet.

He realized this fight would never end. At least not soon enough to save his men, or Master Plo. Not unless _he_ was out of the equation. They had been trying to get him off the planet, the Dooku and Grievous were trying to kill him, but what if there was a third option… It would at least stop the fighting for a short time…

Obi-Wan made eye contact with Mace.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Obi-Wan called, though he wasn’t sure Mace could hear him over the battle, “but we will have to stay on Cato Neimoidia just a bit longer.”

And with that, Obi-Wan turned and jumped off the cliff towards the city below.

…

Grievous was the first to the side of the cliff. He roared in outrage, calling on his droids to ready a ship and running back to the main battle.

Commander Cody was the next to look over the side, as the droids fell back, to see where his General had fallen to.

Mace let Cody do the looking at that moment. He had a more pressing matter at hand. He felt around in the darkness, finally laying a hand on Master Plo’s Antiox mask. He rolled his friend onto his back and reattached the mask. Luckily, it was night, which meant Plo would not sustain eye damage from losing the light-blocking goggles, but as Mace checked for a pulse, he knew Master Plo was lucky to have survived so long with so much oxygen intake.

“Anything?” he asked Cody as the Commander came to his side.

“I can’t see him anywhere. I don’t think Grievous did either. Best guess, he caught onto one of the speeders passing by and is long gone by now.”

“Did you see the extent of his injury?”

“It was his non-dominant arm. Didn’t seem too serious.” With a pause, the Commander continued. “Is he alright?”

He was referring to Master Plo.

“He’ll live. But he’s lucky.”

“Sir, why would the General jump like that?”

“He knew Grievous and Dooku would retreat to look for him. He’s giving us time to regroup. Trying to avoid another full out fight.”

The Commander said nothing. Mace would have tried to explain Master Obi-Wan’s actions in more detail. Explain why it was the right choice at the time, the choice any good Jedi would have made, but at that moment, he didn’t have time.

“Help me with Master Plo,” he said, “we have to regroup, and figure out how to find Obi-Wan.”

…

Obi-Wan watched as the Separatists pulled away from the battle site. Droids on speeders sped up and down the line of air traffic, clearly looking for him on one of the many shuttles that had been passing underneath them.

But instead, he had fallen in between two shuttles, and landed on the roof of a large building in the city. Obi-Wan sat in the shadows, watching the two armies separate, both suffering from exhaustion and heavy losses. He saw his men from the 212th walk up and down the side of the cliff, looking down on the buildings and shuttles.

They had speeders with them. Technically all Obi-Wan had to do to alert them of his presence on that rooftop was to ignite his lightsaber. They could come and get him easily.

But every time the thought crossed his mind, a droid would pass overhead, and he would sink deeper into the shadows.

Obi-Wan realized he could not reveal himself to his friends without revealing himself to his enemies. And Obi-Wan did not have the strength to face his enemies. He crawled to the hatch of the building, unlocked it with the force, and disappeared into the city.


	3. Chapter 3

Felucia was not nice this time of year. The air was hot and rancid, the plant life seemed to be oozing some kind of sap that wouldn’t wash off, and a large battalion of Droid were expected any minute.

Captain Rex looked at the 501st. The best legion in the galaxy had their work cut out for them with the coming attack.

_Well it’s a good thing we’re so prepared_, Rex remarked.

Kix and Tup were playing catch with a small creature that was trying to bite them, Jesse and Dogma seemed to be drawing obscene pictures in the dirt, Appo was taking apart his blaster and putting it back together, and Fives appeared to be napping.

“Stood up by a bunch of lousy clankers,” Rex muttered.

Grievous’s battalion was expected to arrive a whole rotation ago. But they never showed.

“General Skywalker,” he called, walking towards the General. He spoke again at his side in a lower register. “How much longer should we wait for Grievous before we decide he’s not coming?”

The General sighed. “I don’t know, Rex. He couldn’t possibly think he’s getting around us. There’s no reason for him to hold his attack… Unless he knows something we don’t.”

“There isn’t any chance he’s coming from the other direction?”

“Our destroyer would have seen him enter the atmosphere.” The General pushed the hair out of his face and sighed. “I tried to contact the council for their opinion but no one’s picking up.”

That was odd. Usually there were always one of two members of the council on Coruscant at all times. Rex had never heard of them not picking up a transmission from the front lines.

“If Grievous doesn’t show his face in two hours,” Skywalker continued, “I’m calling it, we’ll go back up to the destroyer and see what’s going on from there.”

Rex knew the General didn’t want to do that. From their position on the ground they had complete control over the area, it was their best bet at stopping Grievous, but they couldn’t stay in the heat forever. Could that be Grievous’s plan? To draw the 501stback into space?

No. It couldn’t be. Grievous would have no way of knowing when or if they decided to fall back. Unless he had someone watching them…

Luckily, at that moment, General Skywalker’s transmitter beeped.

“Finally,” said the General.

He flipped on the transmitter and looked at the image of General Windu that appeared.

“Skywalker,” he said in greeting.

“Master Windu,” said the General. “I was starting to get worried. The council doesn’t usually dodge my calls.”

“We had a problem. Still do, as a matter of fact. We need you to come in.”

“To Coruscant? But Master, if Grievous is coming to Felucia—”

“He’s not going to show, Skywalker, his troops were diverted to a different system.”

“What? Where?”

“Cato Neimoidia.”

_Cato Neimoidia?_ Rex thought, _what was on Cato Neimoidia?_

“The 212th’s stationed Cato Neimoidia,” General Skywalker said, “They should be able to hold Grievous off until we arrive. I’ll have my men—”

“_Skywalker_,” Mace interrupted, “the fight’s over. At least for now. The council needs you to come to Neimoidia _immediately_. There’s a…problem.”

“Problem?”

“It involves Obi-Wan. I’m afraid he’s in danger. I’m sorry but I can’t tell you anymore until you arrive. It’s just too much to explain, and I’d like to only do it once.”

General Kenobi in danger? Rex didn’t like the sound of that. He glanced at the General, but his face was unreadable.

“Yes Master. I’ll leave at once.”

General Skywalker starred his communicator for long after General Windu’s image had vanished. Rex was starting to feel ill.

The General had already lost Commander Tano, Rex wasn’t sure he would be able to handle losing General Kenobi as well.

“Ready the men,” the General told Rex, “we’re leaving. Now.”

“Yes sir.”

Rex waited until the General stepped away, then approached the 501stand kicked Fives awake.

“Get up, we’re leaving.”

The battalion looked at him.

“Grievous finally show his ugly face?” Kix asked.

“Yeah. Just not on Felucia. He was diverted to Cato Neimoidia.”

“What’s on Cato Neimoidia?”

“The 212th,” said Rex, “and, apparently, a good section of the Jedi Council. We don’t know what’s going on. But we’re headed there now.”

“The 212th needs our help, huh?” Tup joked.

Rex looked at his men. The friendly rivalry between the 212th and the 501st had started up mostly because of the friendly rivalry between General Skywalker and his former Master. But Rex knew, that just like the General would be heartbroken if something actually befell General Kenobi, the 501st wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if the 212th was actually in serious trouble.

“General Windu said the 212th was in danger.”

Fives looked up, “like, more danger than usual?”

“That’s what it sounded like. We’re headed over immediately.”

And with that, the 501st was a professional battalion again. Everyone was on their feet, helmets on, ready to move out.

Rex smiled beneath his helmet. That’s why no battalion could match the 501st.

The ride through hyperspace was excruciating. Felucia and Cato Neimoidia were insanely far apart, but to add insult to injury, the longer they were in hyperspace, the more anxious the 501st became.

How long could the 212th last in whatever danger they were in? It felt like years before they finally reached Neimoidia.

“What the—”

Fives looked at Rex, as though thinking he would have an answer to what they were seeing.

It was as though the entire war had descended upon Cato Neimoidia. Rex scanned through the hundreds of separatist ships, finally spotting Grievous’s fleet in the mix.

“Grievous,” he told the General.

But the General wasn’t looking at the Separatists. He had Macrobinoculars pressed against his face, scanning the Republic vessels that orbited the planet a small ways away.

He sighed and handed the binoculars to Rex.

“Can you find General Kenobi’s ship in that?”

Rex took the binoculars and looked at the Republican fleet.

_What is going on?_ He thought. He could see General Windu’s forces, as well as General Mundi, _and _General Plo Koon’s ships. What’s more, the 501stdid not seem to be the only new arrivals. General Fisto and General Shaak Ti seemed to be joining the group as well. But Rex couldn’t see the 212th's ship anywhere.

“No sir.”

General Skywalker sighed and scanned the area in front of them.

“His ship could be in atmosphere, sir.”

The General smiled slightly, clearly seeing through Rex’s attempt to make him feel better.

“Yeah, maybe,” he said, “take us in. We’re going to join with the other ships.”

They had orders to dock with the fleet and send a small group to General Windu’s ship. It was odd… usually they would just talk over comms in case the separatist tried to attack. But then again, this whole experience was odd.

Rex and Fives went with General Skywalker. Rex assumed General Windu’s ship would be full of strategists and meetings. He assumed wrong. When the 501st stepped into the destroyer the first thing they say was an extensive medical bay that had expanded into two more rooms.

Rex’s stomach flipped. There so many injured clones. When was the battle? _Where_ was the battle? It clearly took place on the planet… the injured were covered with dust and grim, but why were they up here now? Did they have to retreat? If that were so why were the two fleets positioned like they were? The Separatists and the Republic didn’t look ready to fight each other, they were both just orbiting the planet.

“Master Plo!” General Skywalker maneuvered his way to a corner of the med bay.

Rex followed him, he saw the Jedi Master lying on a cot, surrounded by multiple air gas tanks, which were connected to his Antiox mask.

“What happened?” the General asked a medic droid as it passed.

“Master Plo Koon went four minutes and thirty-eight seconds without his Antiox breath mask, sir.”

“_What?_”

“General Grievous knocked it off during the fight on Cato Neimoidia. We are giving him Dorin gas and Helium from the tanks to help his recovery, but he did receive oxygen poisoning. He needs rest.”

General Skywalker stared at the Jedi Master in horror. Rex understood what he was thinking. _Grievous _did that? Grievous was supposed to be_their_ problem.

“_Waxer?_”

Rex and General Skywalker shot around to see what Fives was talking about.

It _was_ Waxer. He was lying on yet another cot, awake and staring at the ceiling. When Fives said his name, he turned to look at them.

Rex and the General joined Fives at Waxer’s side.

“What’s going on here?” asked the General. “I thought you guys were on a simple mission. There weren’t any expected casualties.”

“I don’t know, sir,” said Waxer. “I’m just as confused as you are. I don’t understand _why_, they just all… showed up. They were after the General. I—we _tried._ But there were so many of them—”

Rex put a hand on Waxer’s shoulder, a silent way of telling him to relax. Waxer sighed and put his head back down on the cot. He seemed to be shot in the leg, but that was all. The rest must have been exhaustion.

At this point, the General didn’t look much better. He was pale, staring at Waxer in shock. Rex understood why.

_They were after the General_. What did _that_ mean?

“We should go to the war room,” said the General. “Get some rest, Waxer.”

“Yes sir. And if you see Commander Cody in there, tell him to get some rest too sir? I don’t think he’s going to unless someone orders him.”

“I will.” 

The General didn’t stop to talk to anyone or look at anything else. He made a b-line to the war room. Rex and Fives had to jog to keep up with him. He burst through the doors without even a nod to the guards outside.

“What’s going on?” he asked the room.

Rex followed the General in and then instantly regretted it. The Captain had never felt so outranked in his life.

Around the circular table stood Generals Windu, Mundi, Shaak ti, and Fisto. To add insult to injury, Yoda was also there, as well as a holocalls from General Luminara, General Koth and the _Chancellor_. Rex and Fives stepped backwards slightly.

There was a cough to their left. Rex turned to see Cody and Wolffe standing against the wall. He grabbed Fives and went to join them. Granted, they were still outranked, but much less so than they would have been around that table.

Only then did Rex notice Cody seemed to be extremely injured. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, which told Rex he had a concussion, as well as bandages that peaked out from under his uniform (broken ribs?) and a splint that strapped his arm to his side.

“Did you get hit by a truck?” Rex muttered.

“Feels like it,” Cody responded.

“General Skywalker,” said General Windu. “Good. Come in. Now we can explain fully.”

If the General was intimidated he didn’t show it. He stepped up to the circle and immediately spoke.

“Where’s Master Obi-Wan? Waxer, a clone in med bay, said the Separatists were after him. And I saw Master Plo Koon, the Med droid said something about Grievous?”

“Calm down Skywalker. We’re going to explain everything.”

“Well then,” the Chancellor said, “please begin.”

Windu looked to Yoda, who appeared deep in thought. Just when Rex assumed Yoda didn’t realize they were waiting for him, he spoke.

“A vision of the future, I saw, while deep in meditation. The future of the Light side, uncertain it is. But hope, there can be found. A boy, I saw, the symbol of light and good, he was, and protected from harm, taught he was, by Master Obi-Wan.”

There was silence at that. It was clear this was the first time even Windu had heard this part of the story, he was the first to speak.

“And this boy, is he even born yet?”

“That, I do not know. Shrouded, the future is. Still changeable, it is as well.”

“So, for all we know it might not even happen?” asked General Skywalker.

Yoda nodded.

“But what does this have to do with the Separatist invasion of Neimoidia?” asked Fisto.

“Saw this vision, Darth Sidious did as well. Do anything to prevent its fulfillment, he will. See Obi-Wan dead, he will.”

“_Darth Sidious_ wants Obi-Wan dead?” Shaak Ti gasped.

“I’m afraid that much is very clear,” said Windu. “We left to help Obi-Wan immediately after Master Yoda had the vision, but the enemy had already arrived.”

“What happened exactly during the battle?” asked Fisto.

General Windu looked over at the four clones standing at the wall. Rex’s heart leapt before he realized Windu wasn’t looking at him.

“Commander Cody,” Windu said, “could you please tell your story for us?”

Rex looked at his friend. He just now noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Waxer was right, he needed rest. But the commander squared his shoulders and stepped forward.

Rex listened to Cody’s story with more and more horror. When he described the ships they thought were reinforcements turning out to be Dooku himself, Fives actually swore.

Rex looked to see Fives’s face turn brick red at the realization of who he had just swore in front of. If _Rex _was out ranked, he didn’t know what Fives was.

But Windu just nodded, “that about sums it up, yes.”

“I’m surprised Obi-Wan didn’t surrender,” Fisto said.

“He did sir,” said Cody, “But Dooku didn’t let him. He said—”

Cody stopped, as though not sure how to proceed.

“Go on, Commander,” said Shaak Ti.

“He said that his orders weren’t to make the General surrender, they were to kill him.”

The words fell like a rock in the silent room. So it was true, for some reason Darth Sidious himself had set his gaze on General Kenobi.

Cody continued to recount his story, until the part where more Wolfpack arrived at the fight. Then, Wolffe stepped forward to help him recall the hectic battle.

Then, Master Windu was able to help, and before long, everyone knew the entire story.

“He just jumped?” the Chancellor asked.

“It makes sense,” said Master Luminara, “in many ways it was his only option.”

“I agree,” said Windu, “he stopped the fighting, which is something we sorely needed. His act most definitely saved Master Plo Koon’s life.”

“So the question is where is he now, and how will we get him off the planet once we find him.”

The room was silent for a moment, no one seemed quite sure how to answer that.

General Skywalker spoke for the first time since he first entered the room. “Commander Cody,” he said.

“Yes sir.”

“Get some rest,” he said lightly, “that’s an order.”

Cody seemed to melt slightly, as though he was already having trouble holding his own weight.

“Yes sir. Thank you.”

Rex made eye contact with Fives and gestured slightly. Fives stepped forward and led the Commander out of the room.

“Does he have his communicator?” the General asked.

“Yes. But we’ve been calling him all night. No response.”

“Could that mean he was found by the other side?” asked the Chancellor.

“If Dooku had him, we’d know,” said Mace. “At the very least they wouldn’t have so many ships here anymore.”

“In many ways our job is harder than theirs,” said Luminara, “trying to keep someone alive is far more difficult than trying to kill them.”

“Obi-Wan will stay alive long enough for us to find him,” General Skywalker insisted, “and we have an advantage.”

“What advantage is that, my boy?” the Chancellor asked.

“Obi-Wan wants us to find him,” Shaak ti finished for him. “He’s on our side.”

“We just have to get into a position where he is able to contact us. Send him a message through his communicator that we’re waiting for his call whenever he feels safe enough to send one.”

“You’re suggesting we wait?” asked Windu.

“He’s survived this long,” said Anakin, “if he hasn’t been responding to our calls there has to be a reason. The ball’s in his court.”

The circle was quiet for a moment, maybe they were all simply admiring the General’s maturity. Then they agreed to send the message, and to convene again in four hours or when General Kenobi responded, whichever came first.

As holocalls went dead and the Generals started to wander to different sections of the ship, General Skywalker stayed where he was, staring down at the map of the city General Kenobi was hiding in.

“You got this?” asked Wolffe next to him.

“Get some sleep Commander.” Rex looked back at his General. He doubted he would sleep at all until General Kenobi was back on Coruscant.

He hoped the General sent a message soon.

…

Obi-Wan spent the night in a dumpster.

Not ideal, but still, it worked. He needed rest, and he was going to get it one way or another.

The night before was a blur. Obi-Wan had made his way down to the city streets only to discover almost no where was safe. Grievous sent his droids everywhere, into every corner of the city. Obi-Wan had been forced to flee into the poorer sectors, where the streets got more and more confusing, and therefore harder for Grievous’s droids to navigate.

He was almost found twice.

The first close call was due to his own stupidity.

He was hoping to get to the station and onto a shuttle to another city, why stay in this one right? All that was there were droids and some very alarmed pedestrians. But when Obi-Wan arrived he realized just how impossible leaving the city would be.

Droids searched ever speeder before it took off, they checked ID’s, and they stood on every platform.

Obi-Wan was almost spotted by a recon droid as he slipped away.

The other time, however, was because of his communicator.

A group of droids marched down the alley he was using as cover. Obi-Wan sank into the shadows, intending to allow the droids to walk right by him. But just as they crossed his path, his wrist lit up and beeped.

Obi-Wan immediately silenced it but the damage had been done. The only thing that saved him were the stupidity of battle droids.

“Did you hear that?” asked one.

“Hear what?”

“It sounded like a communicator.”

“You’re broken, I don’t hear anything.”

“Well I don’t hear it _anymore._”

“Hurry up you three!” shouted one of the droids ahead of them, “we’ll fall behind.”

“Roger, roger.”

The droids moved along and Obi-Wan breathed again.

He left his communicator off, he couldn’t risk another close call, and went to find somewhere to spend the night.

Not the most hygienic of places, but the dumpster did prove effective.

Obi-Wan sat up but didn’t climb from his hiding space just yet. First, he checked the time. He had through the night and well into morning. Not very surprising considering how tired he was.

His arm ached, but it didn’t obstruct his movement in any way. He didn’t seem any worse for wear besides that, although he was hungry.

Finally, Obi-Wan flipped on his communicator.

Five missed transmissions. Whoops. His friends must be beside themselves with worry. Obi-Wan’s stomach flipped at the realization that they must have called Anakin by now. His poor friend must be beside himself.

One of the messages had text. Obi-Wan opened it and read.

“Send a transmission when safe, we will pick you up. – Mace Windu.”

Obi-Wan smiled. So his friends had put two and two together. Obi-Wan jump out of the dumpster and made his way to the end of the alley. Once he was sure no one from the street across could hear him, he flipped on his communicator and called Mace.

It rang once.

“Obi-Wan,” came Mace’s voice as his picture came into view, “thank goodness, are you alright?”

“I’ve been better,” Obi-Wan admitted, “but I’m alive and mostly unharmed.”

“How’s your arm?”

“It’s manageable. I had a close shave with a couple of droids and had to turn off my communicator. I hope it didn’t cause you too much stress.”

“It did, but we’re glad you’re alright. If you tell us where you are, we can come and get you.”

“I would, but I’m afraid I’ll be gone by the time you arrive. The droids are swarming the city, and they’ve blocked any means to leave it. I can’t stay in one place for too long.”

“How about this, we’re sending out small parties to search the city, and keep the droid occupation to a minimum. We have a schedule all worked out, and the enemy is bound to be expecting it by now, so it won’t raise any alarms. Can you be near the banking building on the north side of the city in two hours exactly? That way, the party we sent out can simply sweep you up with them, and no one will be the wiser.”

“I’ll make that work,” said Obi-Wan. “and then I want a full explanation of what’s going on.”

“Will do. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

Obi-Wan cut the transmission. He looked around. He was a far way from the banking sector… he would have to start heading to the rendezvous point immediately.

…

“Was Obi-Wan even near the banking sector?”

Mace had to be impressed with how quickly the group had converged when he messaged them about Obi-Wan’s response. Of course now they were all annoying him to no end with questions that he couldn’t possibly have the answers to.

“He didn’t say, but he seemed confident in his ability to get there.”

“Well then,” said the Chancellor, “we should send a troop at once.”

Mace didn’t understand why the Chancellor insisted on being a part of these meetings. He clearly did not understand what was being discussed, and this was a matter for the council anyway.

“All due respect Chancellor, but we can’t send troops out yet. Skywalker’s group will pass through that sector when I told Obi-Wan to meet them there. If all works out, we’ll get him back to Coruscant before Dooku even knows he’s gone.”

“Very well. I’m glad this will be over soon. The senate is starting to become anxious. With so much of our fleet diverted to Cato Neimoidia, they are worried we are leaving too much territory open.”

“How could we leave territory open?” asked Mace, “all the Separatists are here as well.”

The Chancellor raised his hands, “I will try to hold them off. Good luck General.”

The Chancellor cut out, which Mace was fine with. He turned to Skywalker, who was, again, being unusually quiet.

“Are you alright with this plan Skywalker?”

“My men will get it done. We’re headed down to the surface in five minutes. If it’s alright, I’d like to brief them.”

“Go.”

Skywalker turned and left without another word.

…

Count Dooku stood on the bridge of his ship, staring down at the planet below. He was unmoving, scowling at nothing in particular. A particularly brave droid finally approached him.

“Sir,” he said, “you have a transmission.”

Dooku immediately turned and walked towards his office without a word.

When he entered the room he immediately knelt before the hologram before him. His master looked down on him from beneath his cloak.

“My lord,” said Dooku, “we have blocked off the city. He will not evade us for long, we have him surrounded.”

“Fool,” spat Sidious, “the Jedi already have a plan to extract him. Skywalker’s legion will pick him up by the banking building in an hour. Do not fail me again.”

“Of course not, my Lord. He will die.”

The image of Sidious flickered out and died. Dooku stood solemnly, his hand reached to his neck instinctively, but instead straightened his cloak over his shoulders. He turned to get his army prepared. They would have to be swift if they were to succeed.

…

Obi-Was stuck primarily to rooftops. Sure, he would have to watch out for ships, but the city was filling up with droids more and more by the hour, and Obi-Wan was getting tired of constantly peaking around corners.

He could see everything from up here.

Also, a plus, he was not the only person on the rooftops. Many homeless citizens opted for the skyline rather that the twisting roads of their city. After rolling around in the dirt and sleeping in garbage, Obi-Wan fit right in with that crowd.

He arrived at the banking building almost a half-an-hour early. It was a tall building with a bell tower. Obi-Wan sat in the bell’s shadow, waiting for his friends.

And slowly, they started to arrive.

Obi-Wan scanned the city streets he could see, Clones were slowly starting to come into view, walking through the busy streets. Eventually, just in view, Obi-Wan could see a familiar figure leading them.

“Anakin.”

He couldn’t lie, the sight of his friend and old padawan gave Obi-Wan a sense of ease. Things would be better with Anakin at his side.

But as Obi-Wan surveyed the area, he realized that he couldn’t possibly show himself to Anakin to start. He was too obviously a Jedi, and too conspicuous. Obi-Wan observed the 501st’s movement. They seemed to be dropping off Clones in groups of threes and fours here and there, to survey a specific block. Then Anakin would probably loop back around and meet his men at the shuttle.

Obi-Wan left his hiding place. He swept over the tops of buildings, eventually coming to a stop atop a small office building, that had scaffolding he could hide within.

Obi-Wan watched Anakin reach the banking building and stop for a moment, check his watch, and gestured for Rex and the rest of his men to follow him onward.

That’s alright, Obi-Wan wasn’t after them. When the chaos of the legion had died down foot traffic began again. The only thing out of the ordinary on the street were four clones that had stayed behind at the bottom of the building next to Obi-Wan’s.

He waited a few more moments, then slinked down the side of his building into a small alleyway and crept towards the clones.

“This is ridiculous,” he heard one mutter to the other three. “How are we supposed to spot the general in all this traffic?”

“That’s kinda the point, I guess,” said another.

“Two sections have had a skirmish with droids already, they’re basically swarming the place.”

“Great. That’s just what we need surrounded by all these civilian, a skirmish with droids.”

Obi-Wan reached out and put his hand on the shoulder of the closest clone.

He reacted as expected. The clone grabbed his arm and whipped around, pointing his blaster at Obi-Wan’s chest with his free hand.

“General,” said the clone. He quickly realesed Obi-Wan and put his blaster back at his side. “Sorry about that.”

“Understandable,” Obi-Wan responded, “Jesse, right?”

“Yes sir. And Tup and Kix and Appo, sir.”

Obi-Wan gestured for them to follow him. Appo stayed behind, so the lack of Clones on their street wouldn’t look suspicious, and the other three followed Obi-Wan back up to the building and into the scaffolding yet again.

“Good hiding spot, sir.”

“Yes, well, I make do,” said Obi-Wan. “How long before Anakin comes back around?”

“Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes, sir, we were just doing a quick sweep.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He thought for a moment, but then decided to go ahead and ask.

“How many of my men were killed in the fight yesterday?”

The clones looked at one another, clearly not sure how best to answer.

“Eight died in the battle,” said Kix, “we lost three more later on to injuries.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sighed. For a mission that was supposed to take no casualties, Cato Neimoidia was leaving a trail of bodies in Obi-Wan’s wake.

“Speaking of injuries, sir,” said Kix, “mind if I take a look at your arm?”

Obi-Wan allowed Kix to undo his sleeve and patch up his injured arm. He stared out towards where Anakin had disappeared. He wished he’d hurry up, he was ready to put Cato Neimoidia behind him.

…

Anakin didn’t know what Obi-Wan was playing at. Why hadn’t he revealed himself to Anakin when he stopped at the bank? Slowly, his troops stopped to observe a certain area, but he kept Rex and Fives with him.

Was Obi-Wan planning on revealing himself when they looped back around? Was he following them right now?

At this thought Anakin looked around the crowded streets.

No, Anakin would be able to pick his Master out of a crowd. He must be waiting for them to come back.

That’s why Anakin had left Kix back at the bank. Hopefully, Obi-Wan would reveal himself to them and get medical attention.

The scan of the city was rather boring, especially since Anakin knew Obi-Wan wasn’t in the crowds. They met droids three times. Usually they were just wandering around, checking back alleys and peeking into widows. Anakin and his men made quick work of them.

Slowly their ranks thinned, as more and more troopers branched off to search specific areas.

They didn’t search very hard. They all knew the plan. They all knew Obi-Wan wouldn’t be found unless he wanted to be.

Of course, Anakin kept Rex and Fives by his side. They were the only two clones to know the whole story, and he wanted them both with him, just in case they saw something he didn’t.

But they saw nothing, and soon they were looping back around, picking up the parties that had been left behind to search certain areas.

They all said the same thing.

“Nothing to report, sir.”

None of them were surprised by that.

After what felt like ages, they reached the banking building again.

The whole battalion seemed to be holding their breath. If Obi-Wan wasn’t waiting for them… But Anakin couldn’t think about that.

He scanned the area. He saw Appo, but he couldn’t see the other three troopers he had left behind.

Just when Anakin started to get worried they appeared out of the shadows of the alleyway. Tup, Jesse, Kix, and finally—

Anakin couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his Master, tired and dirty, but alive. They made eye contact for a few seconds. It was only then had Anakin realized how quickly his heart had been beating, maybe even since he first got the call that Obi-Wan was in danger. It was as though Anakin lungs finally began working again. He breathed for what felt like the first time in hours. As the battalion passed, Obi-Wan could simply join their ranks with the other four, and no one would be the wiser. He would be safely on Coruscant within the next few hours.

Just as they were about to reach each other, Anakin took a vague look around to make sure there were no battle droids present.

His heart stopped. That wasn’t _possible_, it _couldn’t_ be. How did he _know?_ Did Obi-Wan see—? No. He couldn’t. The building was in the way. He was about to step into the open—

“No!”

Anakin held out both his hands, using the Force for two separate objectives, hoping no one would notice the first one.

…

It had been two days full of surprises for Obi-Wan, but the greatest by far was when Anakin attacked him.

Obi-Wan, Tup, Jesse, Kix, and Appo stood ready to join the 501stbattalion as they passed. But just when they started to step out from the alleyway, they were hurled backwards by an invisible force.

_Anakin?_

Obi-Wan recognized Force push to be Anakin’s work before he even hit the ground.

Obi-Wan hit the pavement, rolled, and landed on one knee. The Clones were starting to stand, guns at the ready.

“Wait!” hissed Obi-Wan.

Something was wrong. Anakin had pushed them further into the alleyway. He wouldn’t have done that unless—

Obi-Wan heard the ignition of a lightsaber. Anakin stood just in view, pointing his weapon someone around the nearest building.

“Dooku,” he said.

Now Obi-Wan understood. Anakin had used the Force to push Obi-Wan out of harm’s way, while also distracting Dooku with a similar attack.

He reached for his lightsaber.

“Sir, no.”

It was Jesse.

“He can’t fight Dooku by himself,” Obi-Wan insisted.

“Sir, we have to get you out of here before Dooku finds you.”

But Obi-Wan knew there was no way off the planet now. If Dooku had come himself, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave their ship intact before attacking.

There was only one way this wouldn’t end in bloodshed.

“No,” said Obi-Wan, “no I need your help.”

…

Anakin ignited his lightsaber as Dooku straightened his stance. His attempt to push the Sith Lord backwards had only slightly caught him off balance. But that was fine, Anakin’s main goal was to make sure Dooku didn’t notice his attempts to hide Obi-Wan.

“Dooku,” he said loudly. He hoped that Obi-Wan would hear him, but he didn’t dare look towards the alleyway, in case Dooku followed his gaze.

Anakin pointed his weapon at the Sith.

“You should have quit when you were still alive.”

Rex and Fives raised their weapons at his side, aiming at the droid army that had suddenly surrounded them.

Dooku did not smile, which seemed odd to Anakin. Anakin took it as a void of confidence.

“He’s not here, Dooku,” said Anakin. “It’s just you and me.”

“Good,” Dooku said, “without Obi-Wan to help you, this should be easy.”

Anakin attacked first. Dooku dodged his strike and swung at Anakin from behind. Anakin blocked.

Around them, a fight broke out between the 501stand Dooku’s droids.

Would Obi-Wan be able to escape in the chaos? Or worse, would he _want_ to? He knew that joining the fight would only make it worse, didn’t he?

Apparently, he didn’t.

Anakin lunged forward to attack Dooku only for the Sith to grab his arm and twist the lightsaber out of his hand. Anakin squirmed, trying to get out of Dooku’s grasp before he killed him.

Dooku sung towards Anakin’s throat with his lightsaber. Just before it separated Anakin’s head from his shoulders, Anakin saw a flash of blue, and Dooku released him.

Anakin scrambled up from the ground and grabbed his lightsaber.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Obi-Wan stood against Dooku, protecting _Anakin_. That’s not how this was supposed to go.

Obi-Wan threw Dooku backwards slightly and retreated a few steps.

Anakin stood and grabbed his lightsaber. Though his hand was causing him trouble. It seems like Dooku had damaged something when he grabbed Anakin’s robotic arm. Who knew the old man had such a strong a grip? Anakin switched his lightsaber to his other hand.

Obi-Wan and Anakin faced off on either side of Dooku. But the old man simply laughed, completely ignoring Anakin.

“You should have left, while you had the chance, Kenobi.”

Anakin realized the attack on him had merely been a way to draw Obi-Wan out of his hiding space. Stupid! How could he have been so clueless? He should have retreated, so Obi-Wan would feel free to escape.

“Who says my chance is over?” said Obi-Wan. “Now Jesse!”

Anakin suddenly realized that Jesse, Kix, Tup, and Appo were not in the fight. He looked to the alley, thinking he might see them there, then lunged to the side as fast as possible.

His clones had toppled a building.

Well, not a building, just the scaffolding around it.

Anakin and Dooku were forced to leap backwards as the towering structure came falling right on top of them. Anakin made it clear with room to spare. Dooku was not as lucky.

His leg became caught in the ruble. Anakin lifted his lightsaber, trying to take advantage of the Count while he was weak, but Dooku threw him backwards twenty feet at the action.

Anakin saw Dooku detach himself and look around. Anakin looked too, but in the mayhem, Obi-Wan had vanished.

“Which way did he go?” Dooku yelled to his droids.

“I think I saw him go that way,” one of the droids called.

“No! he went down that alley.”

Dooku shook with rage. He quickly orders his droids to fan out. Anakin let him. The best thing the 501stcould do was blend into the shadows and let Dooku run himself out.

When the last of Dooku’s army vanished, Anakin stood. Rex and Fives approached him quickly.

“They’ve got no idea where he went,” said Fives, “it was too chaotic. He got away.”

Anakin nodded. They had been _so close_. But now they were back to where they had started.

“Sir,” said Jesse, approaching with the other three.

“He didn’t happen to mention a new meeting place, did he?”

“No sir. He wasn’t sure where he would have to run to, depending on where the droids were coming from.”

Anakin sighed. It made sense, but still, it was hard not to hope for something.

“You guys did great. Really. You should be proud.”

“I stitched up his arm before the fight started, sir,” said Kix, “so we’ve at least got that going for us.”

Anakin smiled glumly. “Yeah, at least there’s that.”

He paused for a moment, looking around the city. He would have loved to call his men together and search the city just like Dooku. To find his friend and bring him home. But he knew that was the last thing he should do.

“Let’s fall back,” he told Rex. “Tell the council what we found.”

…

Obi-Wan crouched, breathless, on the top of an apartment complex. There were two groups of people sitting on the same roof, smoking and talking. A couple were getting ready to sleep.

He had been running for hours, and finally Dooku seemed to have given up, at least for now.

It was getting dark.

_How_ had Dooku known? Had Obi-Wan been followed? No. Dooku appeared to Anakin, not to him. Dooku would have attacked when it was just Obi-Wan, appearing only when Anakin came back into the picture.

He must have known their rendezvous point.

But how? There only seemed to be one explanation.

Obi-Wan took his communicator off his wrist and let it drop to the ground. He then crushed it beneath his foot.

The Sith would listen to him no longer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody thanks so much for leaving such nice comments <3  
this chapter's kinda short so I'll post the next one quickly cuz I feel bad XD

“They have us bugged.”

“They’ve managed to intercept our communications somehow.”

“Woah, hold on, they could have overheard Master Kenobi in the city when Master Windu told him the rendezvous point.”

“And then waited to attack him _there_, even though they would have known where he was before then?”

“I agree with Master Fisto, why would they wait for Skywalker to arrive before attacking if they had known where he was all this time?”

“They have us bugged, for all we know they hear everything we say over comms.”

The group of Jedi were tense to say the least. The old group had formed, as well as Master Tiin and General Secura.

There was a palpable tension in the room. They always used comm systems, if the Separatists had really cracked their frequency…

“We’ll have to look into the security of the Republic’s comm system,” said Mace, “I’ve already tried to get in contact with Master Kenobi just to see if he’s alright, but it appears he’s come to the same conclusion as we have.”

“I will have my best people work to see if there are any bugs in our system,” the Chancellor stated. “This will be my top priority. To think, the Separatists listening in all this time.”

“Until then we should limit communication,” said Master Mundi, “specifically around Obi-Wan.”

“Agree, I do,” said Yoda, “in each other, we must trust. And in Obi-Wan.”

“How will those of us who are calling in know what’s happening?” asked Master Tiin.

“You won’t, unfortunately,” said Mace, “At least until it’s over. One way or another.”

Immediately after he said it, Mace realized he shouldn’t have. The room tensed at the realization that Obi-Wan may die despite their efforts. In many ways, Obi-Wan gave them hope and reassurance. He was a stellar Jedi. It had surprised none of them to learn about his importance to the Light. The thought that this savage hunt by Dooku could succeed…

“I don’t think it’s wise to keep us all out of the loop,” said the Chancellor. “We could be of help, even if we are not there in person.”

“I’m afraid it’s just too risky, Chancellor,” said Mace, “we can’t let Dooku know any more than he already does, or we’ll never get Obi-Wan off of Cato Neimoidia.”

“Do good for him,” Luminara told Mace and the rest of those orbiting Cato Neimoidia. Her image reached downward and she disappeared.

Other’s around the circle followed suit. Before she disappeared, Mace and Aayla made eye contact. She nodded slightly. Good, she understood.

Before long it was just Mace, Mundi, Yoda, Skywalker, Shaak Ti, and the Chancellor.

“I’m sorry Chancellor. I hope your scientists are able to fix whatever bugs Dooku placed in our system quickly.”

The Chancellor let out an aggravated sigh and nodded. “Me too, Master Jedi.”

And with that his image disappeared.

Immediately Skywalker turned to Master Yoda.

“Master I’d like to go back down to the planet and start conducting a search.”

“Patience, young Skywalker, patience. A long head start, Dooku has. Find Obi-Wan his way, we will not.”

“Then what—”

“We have a plan. Aayla’s going to get in contact with help.”

“Help? We’re calling in another Jedi?”

“Another player, this game needs.”

“_Who?_”

…

Dooku stepped into a run-down building at the edge of the city. They had commandeered the warehouse to recharge droids, but it also became a good place to strategize without going back to the ships.

“Sir,” said one of the droids, “you have a transmission waiting for you.”

Dooku straightened his posture and entered a small room. He took a breath and flicked on the communicator.

Suddenly, he couldn’t breathe. He choked, reaching up instinctively towards his throat. But there was nothing there to grab at. The image of his master glowered down at him.

“_FOOL!”_ it spat.

The force on Dooku’s throat was released and he fell forward onto his hands and knees.

“You let him escape! And now the Jedi think you are listening in on their communications. They have limited contact with those outside the system! With _me_! You have given them every advantage! You have failed me to the highest degree!”

“I’m sorry master,” Dooku croaked.

“And what do your apologies give me.”

“Nothing master, but we do have one advantage.”

“Go on.”

“I planted a tracker in Skywalker’s arm. If he finds Kenobi, I will know it.”

Sidious was quiet for a moment.

“Good,” he said at last, with an air of reluctance. “We may salvage this mission after all.”

Sidious looked down at his servant. “But should you fail me again, the consequences shall be most severe.”

“I shall take every precaution, my Lord. He will be dead soon.”

…

Obi-Wan gave himself a moment to catch his breath. There were more droids swarming the city than ever before. Staying in one place was becoming exceptionally difficult.

He hadn’t slept last night.

The only good thing was his arm, which thanks to Kix, seemed to be recovering nicely. Obi-Wan kept the bandaging on, so it wouldn’t become infected.

_Think, Obi-Wan, _he told himself.

How was he going to get rescued now?

Obi-Wan was coming to know the city fairly well. It would be easy to find Anakin when he returned to search for him. If they played their cards right, they could escape before Dooku really knew what had happened. But that dream had been shattered earlier that day:

He had figured the search had died down slightly and decided to risk walking the city streets.

Big mistake.

Obi-Wan turned a corner and almost walked straight into Dooku.

He stumbled backwards around the corner again, quickly scrambling up the building and ducking into the shadow of a statue.

He peaked over the side of the building and watched Dooku.

“—And block off the corner street,” the Sith had said, “I don’t want him getting more than a few blocks out. We shall slowly reel in his leash.”

Obi-Wan’s stomach twisted. That wasn’t good. He had to get outside the Separatist border before they had him surrounded. But something kept him on that rooftop. He listened to Dooku.

“Sir,” said one of the droids, “what if that Jedi comes back and tries to break our line?”

“Let him,” said Dooku. He took a small device from his pocket and clicked it on. A holographic image appeared, showing a red dot orbiting Cato Neimoidia. “Skywalker will help us locate his master.”

Obi-Wan shrank back into the statue and closed his eyes. _Anakin_. Dooku had a tracking device on Anakin.

Obi-Wan had been able to avoid being caught in Dooku’s trap, but it didn’t change much.

If Anakin was being tracked, he wouldn’t be able to approach him. But Anakin would be the first one to volunteer for any search party. There was also no other Jedi Obi-Wan could predict as well as Anakin. It would be harder to find any other Jedi searching for him.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. _Think_, he thought again. This was not foreign territory to him. This was the Jedi. He was a member of the Jedi council. If he were up there, and one of his friends were down here, what would _he_ do? What would_he _recommend?

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open. He knew _exactly_ what the council would do. Obi-Wan was surprised it hadn’t occurred to him before.

Obi-Wan was off. He stuck to the top of buildings when he could, but when he got closer to the center of the city, he was forced to travel by street.

As the town got richer, the tops of buildings became more slopped, to discourage the homeless from loitering.

But that wasn’t the only difference. The center of important Neimoidian cities were gold.

Literally, the buildings were made of gold that glinted in the sunlight. Obi-Wan felt like he stood out against

The streets were swarming with droids.

Twice, Obi-Wan was forced to circle back to the poorer sectors, or else be discovered.

Finally, as the sun began to set yet again, he found what he was looking for.

Construction.

They were tearing down a building.

Obi-Wan ran up to the construction site. He could see droids patrolling the remains of the building, searching for Obi-Wan.

That’s alright. He wasn’t looking for shelter.

Finally, Obi-Wan found a piece of scrap that suited him.

It was a long thin rod, perhaps from a railing. It was rather sharp on one end and curved on the other. It was solid gold.

Of course, it wouldn’t go for much.

Cato Neimoidia had a lot of gold. And it held almost no monetary value, even on other planets. Many referred to Neimoidian gold as “fake gold”. There were very few differences. For example, Neimoidian gold did not rust, much like real gold. But it was more brittle than most gold, and could not be formed into anything beautiful, such as jewelry. It had so little monetary value, that these scrap pieces would probably just be dumped in a landfill.

That was fine, Obi-Wan wasn’t planning on sell it.

He began to return to the poorer sections of the city when he heard a loud crash near him.

He shrank into a corner, scanning the area for what had caused the noise.

“_Idiot_” said a man’s voice.

Obi-Wan relaxed, it wasn’t battle droids.

“Shut up, both of you,” said another man, “or those droids will come to see what’s going on.”

“I still think we should have waited till these droids stopped swarming,” said a woman. “They might stop us from leaving the system.”

“Our first stop’s a Separatist system,” said the first man, “they’ll only stop Republic ships.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“We couldn’t wait till they left; the construction might have been over by then.”

The group slowly came into view. Obi-Wan shrank deeper into the shadows of the next building. He didn’t need to be seen by anyone, even if they weren’t droids. Luckily, the sun had set completely, and the darkness hid Obi-Wan from view almost completely.

It was an odd-looking group to say the least. There were three figures carefully lifting large pieces of scrap and tossing it onto a speeder.

There was a man who appeared, in the darkness, to be human. There was also a male Twi-lek, and a female Tholothian. A Basalisk drove the speeder.

“I’m gonna say it again,” said the human.

“Of course you are,” said the Basalisk.

“We can’t do this without Kip.”

“We have to.”

“We could hire another hand.”

“And split the payout? No way.”

“Shh,” said the Twi-lek.

“What?”

The man pointed up at the building, where a droid had appeared. The lone battle droid looked around, then turned and walked back inside.

Obi-Wan decided it was time to go. He had become so intrigued by the group before him he had forgotten how close the battle droids were patrolling.

With one last look at the four strangers, Obi-Wan turned and headed back to the poorer underbelly of the city.

He clutched his golden pipe. He had a long way to travel if this plan was to actually work.


	5. Chapter 5

Anakin stepped inside the ship as soon as it docked.

“Don’t bother,” he said, “I’m already here.”

Quinlan Vos slumped back down into his chair.

“Well, you sure are ready to go. How ya doing Skywalker?”

Anakin didn’t say anything.

“Yeah,” said Vos, “I get that.”

“Ready?”

“Sure. But I don’t really get what’s going on.”

“You and me both,” Anakin muttered.

Quinlan piloted them down to Neimoidia from the fleet of Republic vessels. Vos had come in an unmarked ship. _Good thinking_, Anakin thought. It would make for an easier getaway.

“So, Sidious is after Kenobi?”

“Apparently.”

“Do we know why? Aayla wasn’t specific.”

“I don’t know. Yoda has some Bantha shit reason. I don’t really care, to be honest.”

“And you’re saying Dooku and Grievous are down there?”

“I’ve only seen Dooku, but yeah, that’s what I hear.”

Quinlan cursed. “Kenobi’s stubborn, I’ll give him that. Only someone as stubborn as him could stay alive so long. Where do you wanna start?”

“I was thinking start at the market. Hear some word of mouth, see if anyone’s seen him. Also, it’d be a good place for him to hid— so many people.”

Quinlan didn’t argue. They parked the ship about two blocks from the marketplace and walked from there. Anakin’s arm was still acting up. He fiddled with the wiring as they walked.

“Something up?”

“Dooku grabbed it the day before yesterday while we were fighting,” Anakin said, “and it hasn’t been working great since.”

“Well that’s reassuring.”

“It’s fine. I fight just as well with the other hand.”

“Who knew the old man had it in him, huh? I kind of expected his grip to be all pathetic and weak.”

“I thought the same thing.” 

Anakin was sure they would stand out in the crowded market, Jedi usually did. But Quinlan always had a way of blending in with the demographic. Anakin let the Jedi spy take the lead as he walked through the marketplace, buying something here and there, talking to this person and that. Anakin stayed to the side, watching from afar. It felt weird working with Vos knowing about Obi-Wan’s mixed feelings about the Jedi. But even Obi-Wan had to admit that this was the perfect mission for him.

Finally, Quinlan gestured to Anakin from a group of people near the center of town.

“I swear, I almost had a heart attack,” said one of the men when Anakin approached. “It was like a massacre, except it wasn’t dead people.”

The group paid Anakin no attention. Quinlan pointed to the guy who was talking and then spoke.

“He’s exaggerating, man. There’s no way he saw that.”

“I did too!” the man insisted, “I’m getting’ ready like normal. Walk outside to come here, and bam, right outside my fucking door, fucking battle droids man, at least a dozen. All dead. Well, not dead, but, like, they didn’t have heads and crap, y’know? Like I said, it was like a massacre. Someone just tore them apart. And what’s worse,” he leaned in, as though to stress the extremeness of his point, “they shot up my garden all to Mustafar. I’m telling you, not a plant survived.”

“Whoever killed the battle droids killed your flowers?” asked another guy, the group was starting to chuckle.

“No! The _droids_ did. They must have been shooting at whoever was attacking them.”

“How do you know it wasn’t whoever shot at the droids?”

“The droids weren’t shot they were cut all to pieces. I’m telling you, we’ve got an ax murder on the loose.”

Anakin had heard enough. He nodded towards Quinlan and they both stepped to the side.

“Obi-Wan,” he said.

“The droids must have snuck up on him. He wouldn’t be so sloppy to cut up an entire search party unless he had to. Draws attention.”

“Which means Dooku’s got to be on his tail, too. You know where that guy lives?”

Quinlan nodded.

“Great, let’s go.”

…

Vos was starting to get a bit freaked by Skywalker. The kid wouldn’t smile, or talk much, or even look at him.

His eyes seemed darker than usual.

Quinlan guess he understood. Skywalker and Kenobi were close, right?

Quinlan had always heard rumors about what Skywalker got like when the people he loved were in trouble… He had never really believed them, but he heard them.

The sooner they found Kenobi the better.

The guy from the market lived in the poorer sector of the city. On Neimoidia, you could always tell when you were getting to the bad parts of town because there’s less and less gold.

Well, you could say that about most planets, but on this one it was noticeable. In the middle of town, the buildings were made of solid gold, but as Vos and Skywalker walked through the streets to the droid massacre, the houses started to shine less and less.

It was incredible how often they ran into battle droids. They seemed to appear around every corner. Sometimes they were able to keep their heads down and walk right past. Other times, well, let’s just say there were a lot more than just one droid massacre on Cato Neimoidia.

After an hour of hopping around, avoiding droids where they could, Skywalker spoke up.

“Where exactly is—” he began, “—oh. Never mind.”

It was a massacre alright. Thirteen droids in all, all of them torn apart. Pieces were scattered around the streets. And the guy wasn’t lying about the garden. The droids had clearly been shooting at someone. But from the lack of blood on the sidewalk, they had missed.

Quinlan picked up a stray head of a battle droid, then threw it to the side.

“Kenobi really did a number on these,” he said.

“I’m not sure this was Obi-Wan,” Anakin replied.

“Why not?”

“These droids weren’t killed by a lightsaber. They were torn apart. Maybe by a dull knife?”

“You think a random Neimoidian decided to tear apart a whole search party?” said Vos, “maybe Kenobi just didn’t want to draw attention to himself. I mean—if it happened last night—Lightsabers tend to catch people’s eye.”

“And a bunch of droids shooting at one guy doesn’t?”

“I don’t know… maybe he dropped it when the fight started? And had to improvise?”

Skywalker didn’t answer. Vos sighed, looking around the fight scene. He picked up a stray droid blaster, then threw it down again. He picked up plant from the garden. No good.

As Vos straightened again, something flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned. There was a small piece of gold glinting from the other side of the street. Gold? In this part of town? Quinlan approached it. It was a long thing rod, slightly sharp at one end. What was it doing here?

Vos reached down and picked it up. Immediately the past took hold of him.

_Obi-Wan stood, clutching this pipe in one hand and his lightsaber in the other. The patrol of droids passed his hiding spot, but once they were a few steps away, he attacked._

_He rammed the pipe into the first droid, making it spark out immediately. He then used it to pop the head off the second. _

_The rest of the droids fired on him. He dodged most, deflecting the rest with his lightsaber. _

_But he didn’t use the lightsaber to destroy the droids, he used the pipe exclusively. _

_Finally, the last droid fell. Obi-Wan extinguished his lightsaber and gripped the pipe even tighter._

_“Alright Vos,” he said, “I’m at 221 Westpoint rd. Come quickly. And whatever you do, don’t bring Anakin.”_

Then he threw the pipe towards the other end of the street, and Vos snapped back to the present.

He couldn’t help but smile. Kenobi could be a sneaky son of a bitch when he wanted to be.

“Find anything?”

Vos’s stomach flipped. Oh right, _Skywalker_. Why didn’t Kenobi want Vos to bring him along?

Vos turned to look at the boy. With his long, filthy hair, the scare over his dark eyes, the hateful expression… Vos wasn’t all that upset about having to leave him behind.

“No.”

He threw the pipe back to the ground.

“But I think Obi-Wan did this. Maybe we should knock on some doors? Maybe someone saw where he left.”

Anakin grimaced. “Yeah okay. I’ll take this street you take the next?”

“Sounds good.”

Quinlan turned the corner, then raced off down the street to 221 Westpoint.

221 Westpoint turned out to be incredibly hard to find. Quinan got lost. Quinlan got very lost. He may or may not have had to ask for directions.

It was not what he was expecting.

It was a very busy office building.

How was Obi-Wan _here_? There was no way to hide in an office. Not when everyone knew each other and had actual work to do. Vos scanned the building, then turned and looked at the one’s surrounding it.

Across the street, there was what looked like a historical building. Possibly used as a townhall or community center. But on the third floor…

Vos let himself in. He put his lightsaber through the lock. Hey, he wasn’t scaling a building in broad daylight. And besides, locks can be replaced.

He climbed the stairs, coming to a stop on the third floor and walking towards the side of the building that faced Westpoint road.

It appeared to be under construction, but from the layers of dust, the funding appeared to be stalled. There were plastic sheets hung from the ceiling and abandoned workstations. It gave the whole floor a horror movie vibe. Vos took a few steps closer to the widow when he heard something move behind him.

He turned quickly, taking out his lightsaber and pointing it at the throat of the man that had just dropped from the ceiling.

“Hey, Kenobi.”

He extinguished his lightsaber and let the Jedi Master stand.

“Vos,” he said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s good to see you.”

Quinlan smiled. “You’ve looked better.”

It wasn’t a lie. The Jedi master looked as though he had been rolling around in the dirt. His hair was dried with sweat. He looked tired.

Kenobi simply smiled. “Well being hunted down like a wild animal has that effect.”

“I’ve got a ship; we should get Skywalker and get out.”

“No,” said Obi-Wan quickly. “We can’t let Anakin know. I’m afraid Dooku put a tracker on him.”

Realization came crashing down on Vos.

“His arm. Oh, Bantha crap, Skywalker’s mechanical arm’s been malfunctioning. He thought Dooku had upset some of the wiring.”

“I’m afraid he did much more than that.”

“Alright, I’ll get you back up to the ship, then come back for Skywalker. Let’s go.”

Quinlan turned to go back down the stairs, but Kenobi put out a hand to stop him.

“No, this way.”

He led the way to a window that looked out to an alleyway. He silently opened it and climbed out. Quinlan followed his lead.

But Obi-Wan didn’t climb down, he climbed up. When he got to the roof, he turned and gave Quinlan a hand.

“The roof?”

“The battle droids haven’t come up here yet.”

“A bit conspicuous, don’t you think?”

“I’m very rarely the only one up here. Most of the homeless in this city reside on rooftops. It’s easier than trying to find a place on the streets.”

Quinlan could understand that. The streets on Cato Neimoidia were very small— meant for foot traffic. They were also full of police officers and other people who might get the homeless in trouble.

“Makes sense.”

Quinlan led the way. They stuck to the middle of rooftops and kept low, hoping to avoid being noticed by anyone on the ground.

Quinlan was starting to understand how Kenobi had survived so long. On the ground, Vos and Skywalker had a close call with droids every few blocks, but traveling the city skyline, they were half-way back to the ship before anything exciting happened.

“Down,” Kenobi hissed. He grabbed Quinlan from behind and forced him behind a small ridge on the ceiling of an apartment complex.

Quinlan didn’t even see why until the scouts were right in front of him.

They were on a building with no more than seven floors, and the eighth floor of the building next door was being searched. Through the window of the building, Quinlan could see droids conducting a search inside. One was looking right out the window and would have spotted them immediately.

The two Jedi watched the droids as they searched the building next to them. They weren’t even safe of the roof, thought Quinlan. He couldn’t imagine the steps Obi-Wan would’ve had to gone to stay alive even this long.

“Kenobi, when was the last time you ate?”

It had just occurred to Quinlan that jumping from roof to roof doesn’t leave a lot of options for shopping for food.

“What day is it?”

Vos took out a packet of rations and tossed it to him.

“Eat something.”

Kenobi ate while they waited for the droids to fully searched the building next door and move on. Then they were off again.

But then there was a problem. Vos had parked the ship close to the market, which was in the center of town. And center of town was different from the rest of the city in more ways than just its golden color.

“Why are the rooves curved?”

“It was designed to stop the homeless from sleeping on the more important buildings.”

“Well, that’s disgusting.”

“We’ll have to travel by road…”

Vos peaked over the side of the building. _That_ was going to be difficult. Every back street or dark corner was swarming with droids.

“We’ll have to travel through main street,” Vos said, “avoid the droids.”

Kenobi shook his head, “there are cameras.”

“You really think Dooku’s looking at those cameras that hard?”

“At this point I’m willing to believe anything.”

“Damn, they must really want you.”

“You wouldn’t know why, would you?”

“Nah, communication’s been sparse now that we know the Separatists are listening.”

Before Kenobi could reply, Vos grabbed him and threw them both behind a statue as a group of droids turned the corner.

“We have to take to main road,” said Vos. “We’ll have to risk it. Battle droids can’t carefully monitor video feed and Dooku’s not going to do it himself. If we hurry, we can make it to the ship.”

Kenobi bit his lip but nodded.

“Alright, but we’ll have to hurry.”

Kenobi stood out. He drew the eye of almost everyone on the street. Despite the fact he was dirty and beaten looking, he wore clothes that were clearly Jedi robs. He also had this a Jedi dignity about him, even while filthy and hunted. It pissed Vos off to no end.

Finally, they came to the market. Vos’s relief was instantly stunted by the sight in front of him.

Battle droids. There were so many of them. They were checking each cart, wandering through the crowd, and being generally annoying.

Vos and Kenobi scuttered backwards and hid behind a building.

Vos swore.

“Where’s the ship?”

“Far side of the market.”

“There’s a street that runs adjacent to it. It’s usually pretty deserted, it has a lot of battle droids, but if they were diverted here to check the market—”

“Worth a shot. Lead the way Kenobi.”

The backroad was deserted. They headed off in a full out run. Why not? There was no one there to take notice.

They were halfway there when the first shot went off.

Kenobi dodged at the last second. If he hadn’t it wouldn’t gone straight through his skull.

The ducked behind a building, drawing their lightsabers.

“Droids?” Vos asked.

“Just one shot?” Kenobi replied, “a perfect headshot? I doubt it.”

“Then _who_?”

Their questions were answered for them as a large metal disk came hurling towards them from the other side of the street, forcing them to launch forward or get hit.

Vos tried to look to see what exactly had been thrown.

It bounced into the alley and returned to its thrower. It was like a small sled… Or a really weird hat.

The bounty hunter Embo jumped down from the widow of a nearby building, landing in front of them, his yellow eyes just visible beneath his helmet.

“Bounty hunters,” said Vos.

“Dooku must have put him in charge of monitoring security footage.”

“Think there are more?”

His question was answered for him as bounty hunters Dengar and Latts Razzi emerged behind them. They were surrounded.

Vos and Kenobi stood back to back, lightsabers at the ready. They could still beat this. Three bounty hunters verses two Jedi? The odds were in their favor.

Dengar shot at Kenobi, who blocked easily, but Razzi whipped her grappling boa at the two Jedi, causing both of them to jump to the side.

Obi-Wan took on Embo as Vos dealt with Dengar and Razzi. Vos really hated Razzi’s grappling boa. The thing appeared to have a mind of its own and was almost impossible to hit with his lightsaber. The best he could do was dodge it every time she threw it at him.

This lasted longer than it should have. The bounty hunters were being careful, trying to prolong the fight. Maybe hoping for reinforcements?

Just as Vos thought this, Dengar lunged at him with such feriosity Vos almost dropped his lightsaber. Not because the attack was powerful, but out of surprise at how _completely suicidal_ he was being.

Vos took a step to the side as Dengar came raging towards him, turned off his lightsaber, and knocked Dengar in the head with its handle.

Dengar fell unconscious. He should consider himself lucky, Vos could have easily justified cutting his head clean off.

Only later did he realize _why_ had attacked.

While Dengar distracted him, Razzi had whipped her grappling boa.

Vos might have been able to dodge it, since he was on guard. But Razzi hadn’t been aiming for Vos.

The boa wrapped around Kenobi’s leg and pulled him backwards.

He cried out in pain as the sharp metal cut into his calf, pulling him towards the bounty hunter. Embo straightened, recovering from Kenobi’s last attack, and aimed his gun at Kenobi’s head.

“No!”

Vos pushed Embo backwards with the Force as Kenobi tried to deal with the boa that was wrapped around his leg.

He grabbed the side of the sidewalk, trying to stop himself from being pulled closer to Razzi. He cried out louder. Vos could see blood.

He lunged forward, cutting the boa, and standing over Kenobi against Embo and Razzi. He pushed them both backwards, down the street, and knelt next to Kenobi.

Kenobi was finishing detaching the boa from his leg. It was a bad injury, most of the skin on his leg had been ripped away, the cut was deep.

“Where’s your weapon?” Vos asked.

Kenobi looked around; he must have dropped it when he had grabbed the sidewalk. They couldn’t see it now.

Then they _heard_ it.

Embo stood, smiling slightly, with Kenobi’s lightsaber drawn in his hand.

Craaaaap.

Vos stood and faced him. He had to get Kenobi out of there, before he lost too much blood. That meant he would have to make quick work of the bounty hunters.

Embo attacked first. Vos blocked, knocking the bounty hunter backwards. Then he lunged at him, knocking him off his feet. Razzi shot at him. He deflected, making sure none of the shots reached Kenobi, who had slid backwards, finding shelter by a nearby house.

Vos got closer to Razzi, kicking her backwards, then turned his weapon back on Embo, who was trying to sneak back to finish off Kenobi. He knocked the lightsaber out of his hand, sending in into a gutter.

He was doing pretty well, when he heard Kenobi.

“Vos!” he called.

Vos kicked Embo backwards and turned to look at what Kenobi was warning him about.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, the bounty hunters’ backup had arrived. At the other end of the street stood General Grievous.

Vos used all his willpower to turn and force the bounty hunters back to the other end of the street with the Force. They hit a building and fell unconscious. Then he turned all his attention to Grievous, launching himself between the General and Kenobi.

“General Vos,” Grievous croaked. “We were wondering when you would join us.”

Quinlan stood in front of Kenobi. He would _not_ loose Kenobi’s life to _Grievous_.

“Can you walk?” he asked Kenobi, not taking his eyes off Grievous.

“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound sure.

Vos attacked first. He lunged at Grievous, pushing the cyborg backwards and attacking again. His goal was to keep Grievous as far away from Kenobi as possible. Hopefully, Kenobi would make it to the ship… and then not hesitate about leaving him here.

Amazingly, Grievous gave ground. In fact, it wasn’t long before Vos had him all the way back down the street. He didn’t dare look back to see how Kenobi was doing. Grievous would take advantage of any moment of weakness.

They reached the corner of the street and Vos lunged, attempting to cut through the droid general. Grievous ducked around the corner and Vos went running after him.

Big mistake.

Vos was met by Grievous and five Assassin Droids.

Five was a _bit_ much.

Vos cut through the first one before the second hit him with its Electrolance. Vos cried out in pain, rolling to the side and blocking the next blow.

Grievous was trying to circle back around. Vos jumped into his path but was met by the two other assassin droids. He blocked their attacks, trying to get to Grievous, but Grievous was way ahead of him. He pounced on Vos, kicking him to the floor. An assassin droid tried to run its lance through his head. He knocked it aside and tried to stand but the others were on top of him.

One kicked his lightsaber out of his hand. He lost track of where Grievous was. A droid lifted the Electrolance and swung for the kill.

Vos flinched, but the blow never came. Vos looked around: a blue lightsaber had deflected the droid’s attack.

Just when Vos started to marvel at how Kenobi had managed to stand up and get there on time with his injured leg, he realized it wasn’t Kenobi at all.

“Skywalker!” he warned.

Skywalker dodged a blow from an assassin droid, cutting it in half, then turned back to the other two.

Vos grabbed his lightsaber and together the Jedi made quick work of the droids.

“_What_ do you think you were _doing_?” Skywalker snapped. “This is _pretty far_ from ‘just the next street over’! I’ve been looking for you for ages!”

Vos didn’t answer him, he ran back to the other street.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

Vos didn’t like what he saw around the corner. All three bounty hunters were awake, and they seemed to be searching the nearby alleyways.

“Wait up!” Skywalker called.

Vos shushed him but it was too late. As the young Jedi turned the corner the bounty hunters turned and spotted them. Embo shot in their direction, causing them to stop and deflect the blasts.

Vos would have been happy to cut the hunters to pieces, but they didn’t stick around. They all climbed on speeders and shot down the street.

Skywalker and Vos ran forward, but as Skywalker ran after the speeders, Vos stopped at the middle of the street.

“What are you doing?” Skywalker snapped. “They’re getting away!”

But, again, Vos didn’t answer. He looked around at the buildings that lined the street, then up at their rooftops. Nothing. He saw nothing.

“Kenobi!” he called.

No answer.

“Obi-Wan was _here_?”

Again, Vos didn’t answer. His mind was too occupied.

Where was Grievous? Just looking for Kenobi? Or had he found him? How could Obi-Wan have gotten far enough not to hear him on his injured leg? Had Grievous—

No. he thought. He wouldn’t think like that. If Kenobi was dead, Grievous would’ve stayed behind and bragged about it. The fact that Grievous was gone was a good thing.

Vos looked around a little more, when something caught his eye. He took a few steps forward and picked something out of the gutter.

“Is that—” said Skywalker.

It was Kenobi’s lightsaber. He had been forced to leave it behind.

Vos felt a violent hand on his shoulder, and suddenly he was being thrown against a wall.

So the stories were true, he realized. Anakin really did become _that_ scary when someone he loved was in trouble.

“_What_. Is going. On,” spat the Jedi. “Where is Obi-Wan.”

Vos looked at the fire in Skywalkers eyes. He didn’t like what he saw.

“I’ll tell you everything,” he said. “But first we’ve got to look for him. Grievous is after him.”

Skywalker let him free. Vos stumbled away from the wall, breathing hard.

Skywalker held out his hand, for Obi-Wan’s lightsaber probably. But Quinlan remembered something once he did.

“Hey—what’re you—”

Vos ignored Skywalker’s complaints, opening up the port of his robotic arm and reaching inside.

“You’re gonna make it worse.”

“Aha!”

Vos pulled out a small device that had wormed itself deep inside Skywalker’s arm and showed it to him.

Anakin paled. “Is that—”

“The reason I kept you out of the loop, yeah.”

Vos jogged to the end of the street, finding a speeder parked outside a café, and attaching the tracking device to the underside of its seat.

He turned to Skywalker.

“We’ve got to hurry. Stick to the rooftops, that’s how he’s traveling. And he’s injured, so he can’t have gotten far.”


	6. Chapter 6

Silence filled the war room as Vos finished telling his story.

“How bad is the injury?” Asked Mace, “do you think he could power through it?”

“He’ll have a limp. And it’ll hurt like anything. It was a very deep cut.”

Yoda grimaced, but he said nothing.

“If you’re up for it, you should head back down to the city immediately,” Mace told Skywalker and Vos, “Masters Shaak Ti and Mundi are going to go with you. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find him again.”

But before anyone could respond, the room’s transmission beeped once, and the Chancellor’s image appeared.

“Chancellor,” said Mace, “how can we help you?”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” said the Chancellor. “I held them off as long as I could, but the Senate is demanding much of the forces being utilized to find Master Kenobi be reverted back to the war effort.”

“_What?_” Anakin gasped.

“I’m so sorry, my boy,” the Chancellor replied, “But my hands are tied. The Senate agrees that the Separatists are weak with so much of their forces diverted to Cato Neimoidia. They think our troops could be put to better use elsewhere. I tried to explain Master Yoda’s vision… But I’m afraid I did it rather poorly.”

“Mmm,” said Yoda gravely, “go back to Coruscant, I must. Explain the situation to the senate, I will try.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Mace, “We can’t lose Obi-Wan over lack of troops. If we do manage to get him back to the ship, we’ll have to fight the Separatists before we can get him to safety. We’ll need this fleet.”

“I shall await your arrival,” said the Chancellor.

As his image disappeared, Mace turned back to the group.

“Go now, we’ll contact you if anything happens. But remember, no communication about Obi-Wan’s whereabouts.”

The group turned to leave, but Mace stopped Anakin.

“Skywalker, wait.”

Anakin stayed behind until the other three Jedi had left.

“Yes Master?”

“You should come with Yoda and myself back to Coruscant. Your friendships with the Chancellor and other members of the Senate could prove useful.”

“_What?_ You want me to _leave_ Obi-Wan?”

“Vos, Shaak Ti, and Mundi will do everything they can,” said Mace, “and your presence on the planet puts the Separatists on alert. They’ve already tried to use you to reach Obi-Wan once, they’ll try again.”

Anakin swallowed his rage. It wouldn’t help Obi-Wan. Maybe that was the real reason for Mace to take Anakin out of the fight. Maybe he thought Anakin was too emotional.

“Yes Master,” he said.

Anakin turned around immediately and left the war room. He stormed through the hallways in a rage, finally finding himself in the med bay.

“General,” someone called.

It was Rex. He must have been checking on Cody.

“Are we heading down to the planet, sir?”

“You are,” said Anakin. “Get the troops together, you’re going to assist Generals Vos, Mundi, and Shaak ti.”

“Where are you going, sir?”

Anakin held down his rage again. “Back to Coruscant. The senate’s trying to divert us away from Neimoidia, I’m going to talk them out of it.”

Rex didn’t say anything. He knew Anakin enough to know how much this was hurting him.

“We’ll get it done, sir.”

Anakin didn’t answer him. He just turned and walked to his quarters.

Now alone, he stood staring at the small room in front of him. He kicked the cot, sending it flying, and sank to the floor.

Forget Obi-Wan needing _him_. At that moment, he needed Obi-Wan.

…

Obi-Wan couldn’t string two coherent thoughts together. His entire existence seemed to circle around how much pain he was in. He was losing too much blood, he was leaving a trail of it behind him, but he couldn’t stop in one place for long enough to patch it up.

When he saw a battle droid he ran in the opposite direction.

There were a lot of battle droids.

He scrambled this way and that, tripping, standing up again, and running some more. It was well into the night.

He had stopped using the rooftops to travel. If for no other reason than he couldn’t climb up there with his injury. He ducked into an alleyway, coming out into a semi-disserted street. That’s when he saw it—a broken basement window. The house had a for sale sign that was old and dirty. Clearly, no one lived there, and the basement seemed to be being used for squatters.

Perfect. Obi-Wan pushed himself through the window and fell to the floor.

He cried out in pain, biting his lip and screwing his eyes shut. After a moment the pain dulled slightly, and he looked around.

The basement was empty, but it clearly wasn’t always that way. There were filthy cots lining the back wall and bottles littering the floor. 

Obi-Wan pressed up against the wall and closed his eyes.

He couldn’t sleep, he had to bind his wound.

He took off his shoe, rolled up his pant leg, and got a look at the injury. He almost threw up. Razzi’s boa had cut deep into his calf muscle, ripping sections of it away.

He swallowed, trying to think. He would need fabric to wrap it with. And—he winced at the thought— it wouldn’t be a bad idea to catalyze the wound.

Obi-Wan reached for his lightsaber. That was the moment he realized he didn’t have it.

His heart leapt. When Grievous had circled back around to kill him, Obi-Wan hadn’t hesitated to scurry away, running down a nearby alleyway and vanishing into the city. He hadn’t realized that the bounty hunter Embo had still had his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan’s head spun from exhaustion, and bloodloss, and now a new level of fear.

Without his lightsaber he was all but defenseless. If _any_ droids found him, or worse, if _Grievous or Dooku_ found him, he would be dead. He couldn’t outrun them, and he couldn’t stand and fight.

Obi-Wan almost gave up on binding his wound, what was the point? But no, Obi-Wan might be a dead man, but he wasn’t going to _help_ the Sith kill him. He refused to go down easily.

Obi-Wan took off his tunic, so he was just in an undershirt. He also took off the bandaging Kix had put on his arm. It wasn’t nearly enough to wrap his entire leg, but it had connectors that could help keep everything together.

He ripped his tunic into pieces he could use and wrapped his leg as tightly as he could. Twice, he was forced to stop, shaking with pain and sweating. He had no water to clean the wound with, and it itched slightly, which wasn’t a good sign.

Finally, he finished wrapping his injury. Without checking his handy-work, or moving at all, he slumped against the wall of the basement and fell unconscious.

Light was flooding into the basement when Obi-Wan woke the next morning. His hands shook, his neck and back ached from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position for so long. But in retrospect, he was probably lucky to wake up alive.

He checked his leg. Amazingly, he had done a pretty good job the night before. He had woven the strips of fabric into a makeshift cast.

He stood, testing his leg, causing pain to spike up his body. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as before.

He hopped around the basement, testing how far he could step. He could limp rather quickly, but he knew it was no good.

He wasn’t winning any races anytime soon.

He sat back down against the wall, resting his head and closing his eyes.

What was he going to do? Wait for his friends to find him? The Separatists had them outnumbered. There was no way they would get Obi-Wan off this planet without them noticing.

Ironically, since Cato Neimoidia was supposedly in Republic Space, there were probably no other planets as dangerous to Obi-Wan as this one.

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open. _Wait a second_, he thought. He suddenly had an idea. A _crazy _idea. But if he could pull it off…

He stood again, looking down at himself.

His leg wasn’t the extent of his worries, his hands were caked in blood, as were the bottoms of his pant legs. His undershirt still had a Jedi look about it.

He had a lot to do if he were going to pull this off. And he most likely had very little time to do it.

…

Obi-Wan walked through the streets of the eastern side of town. There were very few droids, but there were quite a lot of people. The East Side was mostly filled with motels and night club, the crowds were mostly lower class, or very hungover upper class. Obi-Wan blended right in.

Of course, he worked very hard to make that happen. The first thing he did was found a public bathroom and wash the blood off his hands. Then he hit the rooftops of the very poorer districts.

He found a homeless man sitting on the roof of a public library and offered a trade: Obi-Wan’s well insulated and fairly new shoes for his boots.

He accepted.

The boots were hole riddled and frayed, but they went up high enough to hide the blood on Obi-Wan’s pants, as well as the bandaging around his injury.

Then he stopped limping and started hobbling.

A slight difference, but an important one. With these boots, he could pretend to be crippled, not injured. As though he was born with a bad leg.

But there was still the problem of the rest of his appearance. He still stuck out as a Jedi.

He traded the rest of the food pack Vos had given him for a jacket.

Now he looked like a weathered, homeless cripple. He even hunched his back slightly, hoping to sell the deception.

It seemed to work. No one paid him a second glance on the street anymore. But Obi-Wan wanted to really test it.

He stood outside of a bar. Watching, waiting. Then, finally:

“You two take that section,” he heard, “we’ll go over here.”

A group of four battle droids split up and searched the street. Obi-Wan didn’t hide. He hobbled right past them, his heart pumping.

“Move along,” one droid told him, “nothing to see here.”

Obi-Wan smiled. _Apparently not._

That was the easy part. Obi-Wan found the rooftops that were usually busy with people. He learned that most illegal (or frowned upon) transactions also happened on the skyline.

He had one in mind, asking around here and there about a group of four, a Twi’lek, a human, a Tholothian, and a Basalisk.

No one knew what he was talking about. Obi-Wan began to lose hope, until finally someone spoke up.

“Are you their fifth member?” asked a humanoid man who was smoking a death-stick.

“Pardon?”

“Their fifth member. Of their team. I knew they were thinking about hiring another hand.”

“Yeah,” said Obi-Wan, “that’s me. Do you know where they are? With all these droids roaming the place we had to change our meeting place and I didn’t get where.”

“I think they parked their ship down on Third,” said the man, “in the fields next to that casino.”

“Thanks.”

The man was right. Obi-Wan turned onto Third Street to see the peculiar group he had seen two nights before. The Twi’lek and the Tholothian were nowhere to be seen, but the Basalisk and the human were clearly the same. The two men stood hunched over a small table, looking at a holomap. 

Obi-Wan approached, trying to look like a cripple.

He was only a few steps away before the Basalisk noticed him.

“What do you want?” he growled.

“I hear you’re looking for another member.”

“Oh _did_ you?” said the Basalisk. He shot a nasty look at his human counterpart.

“Hey, don’t look at me, he must’ve heard from those two that Marian talked to.”

The Basalisk turned back to look at Obi-Wan. “You heard wrong.”

“Wait, wait, hold on Arnie,” said the human, putting a hand on the Basalisk’s shoulder. “We _are_ short one. We could use an extra set of hands.”

The Basalisk, Arnie, looked Obi-Wan up and down, his eyes lingering over his injured leg. “Even if we _did_ need another member, why would we want _him_.”

“_Arnie!_”

But Obi-Wan had been expecting this. “I was born with it,” he said, “it doesn’t slow me down, and I can lift heavy loads or whatever you’re doing.”

Arnie didn’t look impressed, but Obi-Wan continued.

“I can fly, too,” said Obi-Wan, “if you need a pilot?”

“We’ve _got_ a pilot,” said Arnie.

“Woah, Arnie, hold on,” the human brought Arnie to the side slightly, lowering his voice. Obi-Wan pretended he couldn’t hear. “We _could_ use another pilot. You can lift twice as much as the rest of us but you’re never able to help because you’ve got to fly the ship. With him, we could get done a lot faster. Plus, we wouldn’t have to stop when you slept, we could be done and _half the time_. The faster we do this job, the faster we get the payout.”

Arnie growled. He turned back to Obi-Wan.

“Alright,” he spat, “let’s talk payment. This job has been going on for months, so don’t expect a fifth of the cut.”

“I don’t need credits,” said Obi-Wan.

The two men stared at him.

“Oh?” mocked Arnie, “you’re just doing this out of the kindness of your heart?”

“I need transport off the planet.”

There was a stunned silence as they processed that.

“Where do you want us to drop you?” asked the human.

“Where are you going?”

“Skako Minor, Rugosa, Raxus, Rishi, Devaron—”

“Devaron. I need transport to Devaron.”

“That’s our second to last stop,” said Arnie, the Basalisk used one of his four arms to scratch his chin. “So let me get this straight. You want to help us with this job, fly the ship and everything, and the only thing we gotta do is let you off one station early?”

Obi-Wan shrugged.

“Well,” Arnie laughed. “Welcome aboard. We leave at midnight tonight. Be here.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “see you then.”

…

Arnie watched the cripple limp away. After he turned the corner, he busted out laughing.

“_What_ an idiot. This guy even doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

“He must really need off this planet,” said his husband, Duke.

“What d’you care?”

“I don’t. Just curious. You think there’s a bounty on him or something?”

“On that old fossil? Forget it.”

Duke frowned, “He wasn’t old.”

“He looked old.”

“I don’t know Arn. Are we sure we can trust this guy?”

“_You’re_ the one saying we needed a fifth member.”

“That’s when I thought we’d be paying him.”

“It’s more like he’s paying us for the ride.”

“I don’t know, I still don’t like it. There are easier ways for people to get to Devaron… unless they’re on the run.”

“Who cares if he’s on the run?”

“I do. We’ve been so careful; I’d hate to ruin this job because we picked up a criminal.”

“_Relax_. This is gonna be great. I’m telling you; this could really save my neck. Let’s get this thing ready. I want to leave as soon as everyone arrives.”


	7. Chapter 7

Obi-Wan returned to the ship an hour early. He didn’t want them to leave without him.

The other two were there, they seemed to be loading the ship. Obi-Wan approached, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

Arnie was the first to notice him.

“There he is,” he called happily. The Basalisk walked up to him and threw two arms around his shoulder. “After you left, I realized I never got your name.”

“Ben,” Obi-Wan replied, “Ben Tano.”

“Welcome aboard, Ben,” said Arnie, “I’m Arnie, this my husband Duke, you’ve met him already. That lovely lady right there is Marian. And the Twi’lek up of the rafter is Rol.”

Obi-Wan said hello to Marian and Duke. Marian greeted him kindly, but Duke didn’t quite meet his eye.

_Great_, he thought, just when he got Arnie on his side, Duke becomes suspicious.

“Why the big hurry to get off Cato Neimoidia, Ben?” asked Marian.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but now with all these Droids swarming around the sooner the better.”

“I hear that,” said Arnie, “You’d forget this was technically Republic space with all the battle droids roaming the streets.”

“And what’s on Devaron?” asked Duke.

“Family,” said Obi-Wan, “and a job, eventually. I’ve been trying to find steady work on Neimoidia for a while now, but all the jobs I can do physically need too much education.”

Marian and Arnie nodded understandingly, but Duke didn’t look impressed.

“Why not just hop a shuttle?” he asked.

“Shuttles need credits. I needed transport I could pay for with labor. I’m not exactly wealthy.”

“And yet you don’t want to be paid for this job?”

“I’d rather just get dropped off on Devaron. If I went with you guys all the way and got paid, I’d still have to buy my way onto a shuttle. What’s the point?”

“Seems fair!” said Arnie, “let’s get going then! We’ve still got stuff to load.”

But Duke still didn’t seem convinced. It made Obi-Wan nervous. He couldn’t afford Duke searching to see what kind of bounty he had… Even with the fake name, Duke would be able to recognize a headshot.

Obi-Wan still wasn’t sure who these people were. Were they criminals? It felt like it, considering they had raided a construction area and were parked outside a casino, but then Duke wouldn’t care about Obi-Wan’s motives so much…

“So what’s the job, exactly?” he asked.

“It’s kinda complicated,” said Marian kindly. “We’re taking this Neimoidian gold to Raxus. But first we’ve got to go to Skako Minor to get it it refined, and then to Rugosa to package it in a way that will get it through the security.”

“Why Raxus?”

“There’s a hospital on Raxus that’s building a new machine that’s supposed to cure Raxinian flu” she said, “but it needs solid gold to help conduct heat. The copper they’re using will tarnish too quickly. But regular gold is too expensive. Neimoidian gold will work just fine for this though.”

“Why don’t they just approach the Neimoidians themselves?”

“The war,” she said. “They can’t trade directly since Neimoidia is part of the Republic and Raxus is a Separatist system.”

“But the hospital alone won’t be able to pay too much without the government’s approval.”

“No, they’re paying us in Raxinian crystal. It’s not usually sold off of Raxus very often, but the jewelry from it is very expensive. We’re going to Rishi to get it cut, then Devaron to get the jewelry made, and drop you off, then we sell it on Scipio.”

Obi-Wan marveled at the complexity of their plan. They’d make thousands, maybe millions, and they technically wouldn’t break a single law.

“That’s _really_ smart of you guys.”

“Why _thank_ you, Ben,” said Arnie.

“Oh, please,” said Duke. “You came up with selling Neimoidian gold to Raxus, the rest of it was all Rol.”

Arnie didn’t take kindly to that comment. They loaded the last of the gold onto the ship, then Arnie called up to the Twi’lek, who was still fixing something on the roof of the ship.

“How’s it going up there!?”

The response was a stream of Twi’leki curses. Obi-Wan couldn’t help chuckling.

“You speak Twi’leki?” asked Arnie.

Obi-Wan nodded.

“Great, what’s he saying?”

Obi-Wan thought about how to phrase the stream of insults the Twi’lek Rol had said about Arnie’s weight and mother without insulting him.

“Umm…” he said, “it’s really not worth repeating…”

“Rol!” Arnie shouted, “get down here, the new guy speaks Twi’leki and I’m gonna beat the crap out of you!”

The Twi’lek hopped down from the top of the ship, smiling. “Shield generator’s fixed. We should be all set as long as you don’t crash us into another mountain.”

“You were swearing at me, weren’t you.”

“At you, boss? Never.”

“Rol,” said Marian, “this is Ben.”

The green Twi’lek looked Obi-Wan up and down. Something flashed behind his eyes, but before Obi-Wan could worry about it he smiled.

“Nice to meet you. You speak Twi’leki?”

Obi-Wan nodded, “As well as you can without headtails.”

“I’ll have to be more careful about what I say.”

Obi-Wan smiled. 

“We ready to go?” asked Rol.

“We just need to pick up that last piece of gold,” said Duke.

Obi-Wan scanned the area. There was no more gold nearby.

“Where is it?”

Marian chuckled, “we couldn’t get it here. We’re gonna fly the ship over to it, hover next to the building, and slide it inside. That’s why it’s the middle of the night.”

“You get to hold the ship steady,” said Arnie. “That is, if you really can fly.”

“I can fly,” said Obi-Wan.

…

The guy _could _fly. He could even fly _well._ Arnie was beside himself with glee. This Ben character was a gift from the Force. The guy just sat down in the pilot’s seat and expertly took off. Arnie told him where they were going, and he sped off without a second thought. _And_ he could speak Twi’leki. He was the whole package.

Well, minus a functioning leg.

But Duke was less than impressed.

“Where’d you learn to fly?” asked Duke.

“_Duke_,” said Marian, “stop interrogating him.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ben insisted. “I spent a year as a cargo pilot on Mandalore. About six years ago? I got pretty good at flying.”

“Mandalore, huh?” he said, “is that where you learned Twi’leki?”

“_Duuuke._”

“No, I’m just interested in languages. I actually learned Twi’leki when I was very young. Although it’s textbook Twi’leki, so I’m not sure if it completely counts.”

“I’ll accept it,” said Rol.

“Mandalore… I haven’t been there in ages. Who’s the Duke nowadays?”

“You mean Duchess Satine? Or at least that’s who was Duchess when I was there.”

“Actually, now it’s Duke Almec now.”

“Oh. Like I said, I haven’t been in years.”

“Duke! This has turned into an interrogation!”

“It is not!”

“You’re asking him for current events of Mandalore, it’s official.”

Marian sat down next to Ben and faced him. “Hey Ben?” she said, “Duke would like to know if you’re a convicted criminal and on the run.”

The poor guy jumped, keeping the ship steady, he turned to look at Duke.

“No! No, of course not. I just don’t get on well with battle droids.”

“Why not?”

“Well, when they march through, it’s best to get out of their way… But my leg. I tend to move a little too slow for them… And with so many patrolling Neimoidia…”

Arnie’s stomach twisted. He just realized that Ben wasn’t old like he had first thought, he was just _tired_. If Ben was homeless, which it appeared he was, and couldn’t get out of the droids’ way fast enough… Well they must not have been kind to him. No wonder he was so eager to get off Neimoidia.

Marian and Rol looked heartbroken, even Duke’s expression softened, though he still looked suspicious.

Arnie just smiled, “well then it’s good we’re all helping each other out, huh?”

Marian and Rol glared at him, but Ben smiled and agreed.

…

Obi-Wan felt bad lying to the group. Especially Marian and Rol, who seemed to be very nice people.

Though he was relieved they weren’t doing anything illegal. He had had enough of that type of work when he was disguised as Rako Hardeen.

Arnie pointed him towards the building where Obi-Wan had first seen them, though they didn’t know he had been there. He was told to hover close to the third-floor widow, where a large slab of gold sat, ready to be moved.

“Alright gentlemen—and lady—let’s make this quick. Keep her steady, Ben.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Once they were gone, he sighed, rubbing his eyes. His leg ached and knowing there would be no rest for weeks made it feel even worse.

To add insult to injury, Obi-Wan had drawn a blank for planets where he could’ve learned to fly and had said Mandalore. Then he had to go through the whole “how much would a normal homeless person know of Mandalorian politics” game. 

It’s not like he could say “ah yes, the Duke is Almec, but Almec is really just a puppet for Maul, the Sith Lord, who is now subsequently killing the few Mandalorians who know what’s actually going on. At least now that he’s killed the actual Duchess to hurt _me_ because he’s spent the last 15 years staying alive out of pure spite to pay me back for killing him incorrectly.”

Bringing up Satine hurt more than his leg.

Why had Obi-Wan even thought of Mandalore? It was because he was using the name Ben. Satine had called him Ben.

The ship pitched slightly as it took the weight of the gold. Obi-Wan adjusted to compensate.

It was so tempting to use his new persona and find his friends. Surely Vos and Anakin were still looking for him. Probably plenty of others as well. But Obi-Wan knew anything they did would end in a fight, and he couldn’t fight anymore.

He didn’t want any more of his friends to get hurt. He had already lost eleven of his men, not to mention Master Plo’s injuries. He didn’t need any more on his conscience.

If he could get to the Jedi Temple on Devaron, he could be silently transported back to Coruscant. And there would be no fighting.

He hoped.

Obi-Wan heard laughter, he turned to see the group smiling and panting, sitting on a giant slab of gold.

“You think this is enough gold?” Rol joked.

“Good job keeping the ship steady, Ben,” said Marian, “whenever Arnie does it, I always feel like I’m about to fall to my death.”

Obi-Wan had done nothing. But he took the complement.

“Let’s get off Cato Neimoidia, shall we?” said Duke.

The group cheered. Arnie jumped into the co-pilot seat and together they steered the ship up into the upper atmosphere and out.

“What the—”

Arnie looked stared forward, jaw slack with shock.

“What is it?” said Duke.

The group converged around the front window to stare in awe at what was in front of them.

It was so much worse than what Obi-Wan had imagined.

The Separatists seemed to converge their whole army on Cato Neimoidia. Obi-Wan could spot Grievous’s ship in the sea of battalions.

A little ways away, Obi-Wan could see the Republic fleet.

It was smaller, but Obi-Wan’s heart swelled with gratification at the sight of how many had come to his aid. He could see Anakin’s fleet, and Plo Koon’s, and Mundi’s. But also Shaak ti’s ship, and Fisto’s. Windu’s was no longer there, he obviously needed to return to Coruscant. After all, the war didn’t stop just because Sidious decided to go crazy.

“_What’s going on?_” said Duke.

“The whole war’s here,” said Arnie, “what’s so important?”

_I wish I knew_, Obi-Wan thought glumly.

The comms of the ship started beeping wildly. Arnie clicked it on, and a droid voice spoke over the monitor.

“Identify yourselves.”

Obi-Wan held his breath. If they were boarded, his brilliant plan would become a lot less brilliant.

“We’re simple travelers,” said Arnie, “headed for Skako Minor.”

“Business or pleasure.”

“Business.”

“Roger, roger.”

The line cut out and Obi-Wan breathed again.

“This is _so_ weird,” said Marian. “Why did the Separatists hail us but not the Republic?”

_Because the Separatists are trying to keep someone on the planet_, thought Obi-Wan thought, _whereas the Republic’s trying to get someone off of it._

“Who cares?” said Duke, “let’s just get out of here before they change their minds.”

Obi-Wan flicked on the hyperdrive and the war fell behind him.

Hopefully the journey ahead of him would be easier than the one he was leaving behind.


	8. Chapter 8

“I’m still confused on why General Obi-Wan is suddenly so important.”

Anakin could have banged his head against a wall. Three hours. Three hours in one meeting which did absolutely _nothing_ to solve the problem. After _four days_ of meetings just like it.

“Important, he is, to the end of the war. A domino effect, it is. Obi-Wan’s life, the beginning of a chain, to ensure our success.”

Master Yoda was just flat out lying at this point. This had nothing to do with the Clone War, Yoda had said himself that this vision took place far in the future, after the Clone War was over. But it was hard to explain the importance of the preservation of the light to a bunch of politicians.

“But wouldn’t be easier to win the war if we go out and take advantage of this diversion?”

“Oh, for the sake of—” Anakin took a deep breath. “There is a planet out there that is drowning in battle droids. Isn’t it our job to help the people of Cato Neimoidia? And as for Obi-Wan, he stood his ground against both Dooku and Grievous and won. Doesn’t that sound like someone we should try to keep on the board?”

Of all that was said in their meeting, it was _that_ that seemed to hit home.

“We’ll postpone the vote another day,” said a senator from Taris. “And see what we can do.”

“Thank you,” said Master Windu.

Windu, Yoda, the Chancellor, and most of the senators left the office, Anakin was left alone with Padme and Senator Organa.

“Nice job,” said Organa, “looks like you finally convinced them.”

“Thanks.” Anakin wished he’d get out. Not that he didn’t like the senator, but he hadn’t been alone with Padme since he arrived, and he desperately needed to talk to her.

“They’ll come around,” Organa assured him. Then he left.

Padme raced up to Anakin and embraced him. He buried his face in her shoulder, holding back tears.

“He’ll be okay,” she whispered, “he’s strong. He’ll make it back to you.”

“He’s injured,” Anakin stuttered, “and unarmed. And he’s being hunted like a wild animal. And I’m _here_. In meetings. Because the council doesn’t trust me to keep it together.”

Padme cupped his face in her hands and looked him in the eye, “What you’re doing is important,” Padme insisted, “the more troops there to help him, the better off he’ll be. _You’re_ the one who’s convincing them, not Windu or Yoda, _you_.”

Anakin closed his eyes. He was crying. He hated when he did that. The last time he cried he was also in front of Padme, after Ahsoka had left the Order. And before that, when Obi-Wan had “died”. And before _that_, when his mother had died. Padme was the only one who got to see him like this.

“He needs my help.”

“You_ are_ helping him.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.”

“It never does in politics.”

Anakin laughed.

“I’ve got, like, seven more meetings today.”

“I’ve got around the same.”

“You’ll wait up for me?” asked Anakin.

Padme hugged him. “He’ll be alright. They’ll bring him home.”

Then she was gone.

Anakin sat, drying his face. He reached out through the force for Obi-Wan and caught a flicker of… something. A presence, like Obi-Wan was trying to reassure him.

He was alive. That was all he knew.

Anakin stood, straighter his robes, and left for his next meeting.

…

Obi-Wan paused slightly, leaning over another scrap of Neimoidian gold. _Anakin_? He could have sworn he felt his friend’s presence. He must have reached out through the force, trying to find him. Obi-Wan reached out, trying to reassure his old Padawan that he was alright.

“You okay?”

Marian looked slightly concerned. Obi-Wan’s leg was killing him, but he smiled.

“Yeah, sorry.”

They loaded the last of the gold onto a refining chamber on Skako Minor. The chambers melted the metal down, then solidified it into bars that could be sold. It would take all night, though.

“Aaah,” said Arnie, sitting down on a capsule and wiping the sweat from his brow. “Nice work team.”

The group seemed rather pleased with themselves. The first stop of their job was complete.

“I say this calls for a round of drinks,” Arnie continued. “anyone up to hit the bar?”

“Someone’s gotta stay with the capsules,” Marian reminded them.

“I’ll stay,” Obi-Wan offered, “you guys go. I’m not much of a drinker anyway.”

“I—” Duke started.

“—You’re the man, Ben,” Arnie interrupted, already standing, looping an arm around Duke’s waist and pulling him away. “We’ll be back in a bit?”

“Yeah.”

Marian and Rol looked at him, “you sure about this?” asked Marian.

“Yeah, go. Have fun.”

With another hesitant look, Marian and Rol followed their two group members.

Obi-Wan sat against a capsule, laying out his leg into the least painful position he could manage. He felt for Anakin again, but there was nothing there.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

He missed his friend.

…

“What’d I tell you?” said Arnie, taking a swig of his drink. “That Ben is paying off.”

“Considering we’re not paying him?”

“An added bonus.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving him with our gold.”

“Gold that has absolutely zero monetary value anywhere but Raxus and is currently at about 200 degrees? Yeah, you’re right, that poor cripple is going to pull off a major gold heist.”

“I think he’s hiding something.”

“He _is_ hiding something,” said Marian “I just don’t think that he’s a criminal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you see his face when that droid came over the com system? He looked terrified. I think he was really hurt by one of them.”

“Maybe not even on Cato Neimoidia,” Rol suggested, “he could have a bad history. Maybe the droids invaded his home world. Obviously, he’d want to jump ship the minute they started swarming Neimoidia.”

“Exactly. He’s hopping around trying to avoid the war, trying to get a job, it must be tiring.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing we’re helping him out, eh?” said Arnie

Duke said nothing. Rol and Marian made eye contact.

They made a silent agreement. No matter how insensitive Arnie and Duke were being, they were going to help this poor man that had stumbled across his path.

…

The group was only gone for a few hours. Obi-Wan watched them approach.

“Welcome back,” he said.

“Everything alright here?” asked Marian.

“Perfectly boring.”

“Great.”

“We should go back to the ship,” said Arnie, looking at the setting sun, “get some sleep.”

“One of us should stay with the gold at all times though,” said Duke, “just in case.”

“I think you just volunteered to be first watch,” said Arnie.

Duke grimaced but didn’t argue.

“Great, let’s go team.”

Rol held out his hand. Obi-Wan gratefully took it, letting Rol help him to his feet.

They walked back to the ship in silence. Arnie seemed extremely drunk, stumbling every few feet. The other three let him take the lead, giving them some distance.

“So, it doesn’t look like Arnie’s gonna have a rotation tonight,” said Marian.

“I’ll take the rotation after Duke,” said Rol.

“I can go after you,” Obi-Wan volunteered.

“You should sleep,” said Marian, “rest your leg.”

“My leg’s fine,” Obi-Wan insisted.

His leg felt like it was on fire.

“You guys don’t need to treat me differently because of it.”

“No, we’re treating you different because you’re basically slave labor.”

“I’m paying you for the ride,” said Obi-Wan, “let’s not exaggerate.”

Neither of them tried to argue.

When the four got back to the ship Arnie fell asleep immediately. Rol set himself an alarm. The three of them strategically picked parts of the floor in the cargo hold, away from Arnie’s snoring, and fell asleep.

Obi-Wan did not sleep peacefully.

He dreamt he was on Coruscant, but he could only tell from the skyline outside the window. He had never been in this building before. Obi-Wan slowly peaked around a corner, then another. Something was… off… about this place. No buildings on Coruscant were this deserted.

That’s when something hit him. Obi-Wan had never experienced the effects of Force lightning before, but he knew from Anakin’s descriptions that this was it. His body was on fire, he couldn’t cry out, or move, or fight back.

Finally, it stopped. Obi-Wan collapsed, twitching on the ground, gasping for air. The pain was replaced by a wicked chuckle.

“You are weak, Jedi.”

Obi-Wan turned to see a hooded figure looming over him. _Sidious_.

“You’re _weak_! And I’ll break you.”

And the force lightning was back. Obi-Wan couldn’t even scream, the Darth laughed, saying the same thing over and over again.

“Die Jedi! Die Jedi! Die Jedi!”

Someone was shaking him. Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open. Immediately the pain stopped. He gasped for breath, drenched in sweat.

Rol couched over him, looking concerned and slightly alarmed.

“_Allesh_,” he was saying, “_Allesh_”

_Safety_. Obi-Wan translated. _You’re safe._

He let himself breathe for another second.

“I’m alright,” he assured Rol. “It was just a nightmare.”

Rol let Obi-Wan sit up. He steadied his heartbeat.

“You were thrashing around,” Rol told him, “It sounded like you were in pain.”

“I’m alright,” he said again.

Rol did not look convinced.

“I’m serious.”

“What’s haunting you_ yuja_?”

Obi-Wan pondered the word choice. Simply, the term translated to “friend”, but it wasn’t more complex than that. It was to an individual that was seen as a friend to the whole race of Twi-leks— an honor given to few.

“Nothing. I just…” how could he explain this away? When he couldn’t even explain it to himself… “I just need to keep moving forward,” he said, “I need to get to family.”

Rol didn’t look convinced. But Obi-Wan couldn’t explain it to him.

“I’ll take the next watch,” he told Rol, “you get some more sleep.”

Rol instantly began to reject, but Obi-Wan held up his hand, “one of us might as well sleep,” he said, “and I’m not going to… I… I need to think.”

Rol said nothing. He clearly didn’t know what to do.

Obi-Wan knew he wanted to help, and he was grateful, but he needed to think through what had just happened by himself.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for waking me.”

He stood, limping out of the ship and towards the refinery.

…

What had he just witnessed? Had that really been Sidious?

Obi-Wan touched his chest where the lightning had struck him. It had felt so real. But it couldn’t have been, he had been in the ship the entire time…

It’s not uncommon for Jedi to have strange dreams. But they were usually visions. Of the past, or the present, or even the future. But this… This was different. Obi-Wan could tell that it wasn’t a vision of the future. It was almost like… as if the Sith Lord had entered Obi-Wan’s head and tried to do some damage.

That wasn’t a pleasant thought.

If Sidious could get inside his head, did he _know_ Obi-Wan was no longer on Cato Neimoidia?

_No. _thought Obi-Wan, _If Sidious knew he’d have sent forces already._

Obi-Wan looked up at night sky. He could spot a few ships between the stars, but not a fleet, not the Separatists.

Obi-Wan reached the refinery. Duke was sitting on the floor, back against the first capsule. He turned to look at Obi-Wan as he approached.

“Get some sleep,” said Obi-Wan. “I’ll take next watch.”

Duke squinted at him, “_You’re_ taking next watch?”

Obi-Wan nodded. He had to get Duke to trust him, but it was nothing he could do at that moment. Might as well act oblivious.

Duke sighed, clearly too tired to argue, and stood.

“Here,” he said, handing Obi-Wan a blaster. “You know how to use that thing, right?”

Obi-Wan didn’t see the point in lying, he nodded.

“Where did _you_ learn to shoot a blaster?” asked Duke.

“There’s a war going on,” said Obi-Wan, “it’s a useful skill. And it’s not like it’s hard.”

Duke was clearly unconvinced but handed Obi-Wan the blaster all the same.

Obi-Wan took it, sitting down in Duke’s old spot. Duke looked like he wanted to say something, but he just huffed and marched towards the ship.

_Good_, thought Obi-Wan, he was too tired to deal with any questions. And he had too much to think about.

Instead of looking around the refinery for any threats, he looked up at the sky again, wondering if a fleet would approach them.

…

Duke was furious. He had spent so long trying to convince Arnie to hire another hand, he had begged him. He _knew _that they couldn’t do it just the four of them. But this guy? Duke felt like the universe was pulling a prank on him.

He was too good to be true, that was the first bit.

It was one thing to be able to fly a ship _and_ could speak Twi’leki. But he was also _free_? There was no way.

If there was one thing Duke knew with absolute certainty, it was that _no one_ passed up on getting paid, especially someone as poor as Ben obviously was.

The left two options: one, he was scamming them somehow, or two, he was a wanted man.

Or both.

And yet did Arnie listen? No! Did Marian and Rol hear him out? Of course not! Arnie was too busy making credits to listen to his husband. And Marian and Rol… well they seemed to be trying to adopt the guy.

Speaking of which, Rol was awake when he arrived at the ship.

“You saw Ben?” he said.

“Yeah, why?”

“Somethings wrong… I think he’s in trouble. And there’s something else—when I first met him, I could have _sworn_—”

“—I’m sorry,” Duke interrupted, “am I the _only_ one here with any brains? You’re honestly trying to tell me you’re _worried_ about him? This guy is _dangerous_.”

Rol said nothing. He had a habit of doing that. Rol was very much the silent type, and when people raised their voice to him, he tended to stop talking. Or start talking in Twi’leki.

Duke huffed in exasperation and got ready to sleep. After a few minutes of silence, Rol spoke up again.

“He’s in trouble,” said Rol.

“I don’t doubt it,” Duke said, “I just don’t want him to get _us_ in trouble. We’ve all got enough problems.”

Rol said nothing. Instead choosing to lie back down and close his eyes.

Duke sighed. He didn’t want the kid to hate him, he just didn’t want him to get hurt either. Duke laid down next to Arnie, trying to get some sleep.

He’d apologize for yelling at Rol tomorrow. He’d yell at Arnie instead. Something was off about Ben, and he wasn’t going to take it lying down.


	9. Chapter 9

Obi-Wan’s dreams continued. They were always the same. He appeared in an abandoned building on Coruscant. He would search for an exit, but would always be found by Sidious, who would proceed to torture him until Obi-Wan woke up.

The words “Die Jedi” were seared into his brain.

But despite his worrying, no fleets arrived. After the next few days, it became clear the Separatists did not know Obi-Wan was no longer on Cato Neimoidia.

Although the group definitely noticed something was wrong. Especially Rol and Duke, who both seemed to be constantly watching him.

Duke was easy to understand. He wasn’t ready to trust Obi-Wan yet. Obi-Wan didn’t blame him. After all, he was right, wasn’t he? Obi-Wan was hiding something.

But Rol… Obi-Wan just couldn’t understand the young Twi’lek. He seemed… concerned. But more that Marian. He seemed to have adopted this protective nature around Obi-Wan. It was sweet, but also a bit unnerving. Obi-Wan wasn’t used to strangers becoming so concerned about him.

Rugosa went by very smoothly. They arrived only two rotations after Skako Minor. Arnie and Obi-Wan landed the ship next to a small dumpy looking building, where apparently Arnie had some friends that “owed him a solid”.

They wrapped the Neimoidian gold, now in in bar form, so they would be allowed into Raxus space.

Now they were at Raxus.

“It’s all coming together!” Arnie said cheerfully.

Obi-Wan was not as cheerful. In retrospect, deciding the best way to avoid the Separatists was to hop a shuttle directly to the Separatist Capital was _not_ his brightest idea.

Too late now.

Obi-Wan helped Arnie pilot their ship toward Raxulon.

“If you want to stay in the ship,” Marian muttered to him, “you can.”

She was referring to the battle droids. It was nice of her to say, but Obi-Wan knew staying on the ship would only hurt his chances of going unnoticed. The most battle droids in the city would be on the hanger. Therefore, the less time spent on the hanger, the better.

“No, no, I’ll be fine.”

The group filed out of the ship and began to unload the packages full of gold onto speeders Arnie had rented in advance. They were just finishing loading the last speeder when they were approached by a droid.

“License and permit, please,” said the droid.

Arnie showed the droid his identification and permit to park.

“Move along,” said the droid.

Obi-Wan kept his head down as he guided one of the speeders to the main road.

He was surprised by the lack of droids on the platform. There were twenty, tops. Of course, there were plenty of Separatist war ships surrounding the planet, but they hadn’t given the group any trouble.

“See?” said Arnie, “easy. Let’s get going. Everyone got the address?”

They nodded.

“Alright then, follow me.”

The team sped through the streets of Raxulos. It had been years since Obi-Wan had seen the sparkling city, and it had definitely changed. Though, not necessarily in a bad way.

The streets seemed cleaner; the businesses seemed to be booming. The only thing that made Obi-Wan uneasy were the Separatist flags that seemed to hang on every other building. 

They were patriotic, he gave them that. Although it wasn’t much different from Coruscant in that way.

The first time he saw Dooku was a bit of a shock.

Granted, it was just a billboard, but still, the sight of the Sith Lord’s face made Obi-Wan’s heart skip a beat.

The billboard showed the Count smiling. It said: “Support the Confederacy of Independent Systems”. Yikes, Obi-Wan was far from home.

The group pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. Someone was waiting for them

“Arnie, correct?” said the woman.

She wore a clean hospital uniform, her hair in a tight bun. But she was young, and her face looked kind.

“That’s me,” said Arnie. “You’re Sophia?”

The woman nodded.

“You have no idea how much you’re helping us. With this gold we have a real chance at beating Raxinian flu. That could save the lives of millions.”

“Well, that’s why we do this.”

Duke snorted, clearly amused by Arnie’s attempt to seem selfless.

A small hospital staff helped them move the gold up to the third floor of the building, where they were holding the machine to fight the flu. The third floor was also where they were holding the Raxinian diamonds.

So, after they lugged the gold up, they had to lug the diamonds down. 

Obi-Wan’s leg screamed in protest. He ignored it. Probably not healthy.

Finally, they moved the last package down and came back up once more to thank the head doctor.

Obi-Wan stood slightly to the side, trying to not draw attention to himself. He didn’t trust doctors not to be able to tell the difference between a birth deform and an injury. He didn’t want anyone to get suspicious.

Plus, he looked like a hobo and people seemed anxious around him.

They were clearly on the floor dedicated to Raxinian flu.

It was a terrible disease, especially since it was so unpredictable. Some days the symptoms hit you like a ton of bricks, and you were put into a semi-comatose state. Other days the patients felt completely healthy. And there was no telling what day would be your last.

But there was a little girl, no more than five years old, who seemed to be having a very good day. She was running up and down the medic ward, smiling and laughing, waving hello to the strangers that stood waiting.

She seemed to like Duke the most.

Duke was appalled by that.

“No, no,” he told the girl as she grabbed his hand yet again, trying to pull him away to look at another random part of the floor she found interesting, “I’m okay here, thanks.”

“Oh, come on, Duke,” said Arnie. “The kid’s cute.”

“She’s adorable, I’m just not good with kids.”

“Yeah I _know._”

“We’re gonna have this conversation again? Right here? In this hospital?”

While Arnie and Duke bickered, Obi-Wan decided to sit down. His leg was killing him. He sat on a bench and rubbed his eyes. He was so tired, but Sidious had not let him sleep at all the past two nights.

There was a small hand on his knee. Obi-Wan looked up to see the little Raxinian girl. He smiled at her, which seemed to make her overflow with happiness.

She turned and ran away again.

“She sure is on the move,” said Duke.

“She can’t speak,” Obi-Wan explained. “Raxinian flu attacks the vocal cords. She’s running to vent the frustration of not being able to talk. It’s a technique the doctors teach little kids, so they don’t become violent.”

The group stared at him. Only then did Obi-Wan realize that wasn’t something a normal person would know.

“I used to live here. When I was a teenager.”

Raxus, Mandalore, Cato Neimoidia. Ben Tano sure was well traveled.

“Oh?” said Duke, “seems like you’ve been everywhere.”

It did seem that way, didn’t it? Obi-Wan cursed himself for being so stupid. What was worse, Raxinian flu was at an all-time low around the time Obi-Wan was a teenager. There’s no way he would’ve learned that piece of archaic knowledge just from living on planet at that time.

Obi-Wan shrugged, hoping no one would piece that together. “I don’t like staying in one place too long.”

Before Duke could speak up again the little girl was back. She ran up to Obi-Wan with a small bag of toys and proceeded to show him everything inside and demonstrating how play with it.

Obi-Wan simply smiled and let her. He took whatever she handed him, placing it back in the bag when she lost interest in it.

Finally, she took out a small doll, and made it walk across the floor, smiling and giggling happily.

Obi-Wan’s throat closed looking at the toy in the little girl’s hand.

It was a battle droid. This sweet little girl was playing with a battle droid toy.

She looked up and turning it at him, making its gun point at him. She smiled, as though it was all a fun game. Did this girl know anything about the war? About actual battle droids? About the pain those droids had given girls just like her? Of course not. But it still felt wrong.

The girl’s smile disappeared, seeing Obi-Wan’s face. She held out the toy, as though trying to cheer him up by handing him the cursed object.

Obi-Wan forced himself to smile and take the doll. He made it do a little dance which caused the girl to collapse into a fit of giggles.

“Thalia,” said a woman at the door, “why are you all the way out here? Come on.”

The girl stood and ran to the woman, allowing herself to be picked up.

“I’m sorry. I hope she wasn’t any trouble.”

“Of course not,” said Marian.

Obi-Wan dropped the battle droid toy back into the bag and out of sight. He tried not to think of the eleven loyal clones he had lost to battle droids just over a week ago.

He stood, turning his attention to the woman in front of them.

“My name’s Charlotte,” she said, “I’m the head doctor for this sector. I just wanted to personally thank you all for your help. This Neimoidian gold will help a lot of people.”

“It’s our pleasure,” said Arnie.

“We were happy to do it,” said Marian.

“Are you sure the diamonds are sufficient payment? I daresay they’re almost worthless here.”

“More than sufficient,” said Duke, “we’ve got plans for them.”

“Wonderful. I hope Neimoidia didn’t cause you too much trouble. I’ve been hearing some weird rumors about that place.”

“It’s crazy,” said Marian, “the entire war seems to have converged on one planet. But they didn’t seem to care about us.”

“Good. Here,” Charlotte handed Marian a keycard. “Give this to the droid when you load your ship, it’s giving you permission to leave Raxus with the diamonds.”

“Thank you.”

Charlotte turned to the girl, Thalia, that was now falling asleep on the woman’s shoulder.

“Did you tire yourself out?” 

The girl shook her head stubbornly.

“No?” said the woman, “well that’s good, I’d hate for you to actually sleep tonight.”

Charlotte turned back to the group, “and thanks again for humoring Thalia. I’ll let you guys get going, I’m sure you’ve still got plenty of stops to make.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“_Tun rackus, yuja_?” Rol whispered to him.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Obi-Wan responded.

“Those dolls are barbaric,” he said, “they have no respect.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Battle droids are heroes on Raxus. They protect the world. There’s nothing wrong with kids having good feelings towards them.”

But Obi-Wan couldn’t quite believe that.

Luckily, Rol seemed to be the only one in the group to notice. Or at least the only one to comment. They loaded the diamonds onto the ship, giving the droids the keycard as the Doctor had instructed.

“Well team,” said Arnie, “we’re half-way to payout! Feels good, right!? What’d I tell you? I say we go get some real food, eh? None of these rations tonight.”

“What about the ship?” said Duke.

“The droids are in charge of making sure nothing gets stolen. Come _oooon_ Duke, have some fun for once in your life.”

Duke shrugged, which Arnie took as a yes.

“Marian, Rol, Ben?”

Marian and Rol nodded but Obi-Wan bit his lip. He didn’t have any credits but coming right out and saying he didn’t have any credits would bring up an interesting conversation.

“I’ll pay,” said Arnie.

Obi-Wan blinked, it was as though Arnie had read his mind.

Arnie rolled his eyes, “oh come off it, Ben, it’s obvious you don’t have much, otherwise you wouldn’t be working with us.”

Ben nodded.

“Great! I know the perfect place.”

Arnie ordered five of the special. He seemed in a very good mood. Obi-Wan wished he could say the same.

This might be the worse place for him to be.

It was the typical local bar, but in the poorer sections of the city. That meant bounty hunters.

The group sat at the bar. And the people sitting next to them could have easily been bounty hunters. And bounty hunters could easily have a picture of him and his real name tucked in their coats. Obi-Wan kept his head down.

Arnie definitely did not keep his head down. He turned to the possible bounty hunters next to them.

“Where’r you all comin’ from?” he asked cheerily.

Obi-Wan wished he could sink into the floor.

“Tatooine,” said one.

Yep, bounty hunters. No one traveled from Tatooine to Raxus unless they were bounty hunters.

Obi-Wan observed them, trying to keep low.

There were three, they didn’t have anything that screamed bounty hunter – no helmets or weapons in view… But you never know.

“What about you guys?” said the first one.

Great, a conversation, that _just_ what Obi-Wan needed. 

“Rugosa,” said Marian, “well, Cato Neimoidia originally.”

_Nooooo_. Obi-Wan sunk deeper into his plate.

“Aw, man, you guys see what’s going on at Neimoidia?” asked the second guy, “I heard the place is swarming with droids.”

“Yeah,” said the first guy, “I heard a building near the old bank collapsed during a skirmish right in the middle of the street.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy over there,” said Duke. “But we don’t know why.”

“You don’t?” said the first guy. He leaned in, as to stress the importance of his next statement. “They’re hunting a _Jedi_.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” said the man, “it’s crazy, I’ve never seen the Separatists more determined to snuff out one guy. They’ve got enough credits on this guy’s head that… Well, let’s just say you wouldn’t have to work another day in your life.”

Bounty hunters. Crap.

“Wow,” said Arnie, “which Jedi?”

The first guy shrugged, “I don’t know. Reg?”

Reg did not turn out to be what the man thought the Jedi’s name was, as Obi-Wan had hoped.

The second guy perked up, “Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?”

Obi-Wan’s heart twisted at the sound of his own name. These guys knew too much. If they knew his name, they’d know his face, right?

“Hmm,” said Arnie, “don’t think I know that one.”

“As opposed to all the other Jed you know?” Duke mocked.

“Why are they after him?” asked Marian.

“Not exactly sure, but it looks like he’s got some intel that the Separatists really don’t want to Republic to have.”

_If only that were true. _Obi-Wan thought. It would at least make sense.

“Are you guys going to try and get the bounty?” asked Rol.

“Nah,” said the first one. “No use. Lots of… well lets say better funded… bounty hunters have already called dibs.”

“That’s code for ‘we don’t want to get on Cade Bane’s bad side’,” said Reg.

“Or the Hutts.”

“Or that new guy Boba Fett.”

“Ahh, Fett’s just a kid.”

“He’s got skills though.”

“Plus, there’s the fact that Jedi are terrifying.”

“Oh, yeah, that too.”

“I don’t know,” growled the third guy, finally joining the conversation. “At this particular moment, the Jedi ain’t looking too hot.”

“What’re you talkin about?” said Reg.

“I just got back from talking to Rakko. Y’know what he heard?”

They waited.

“He heard a Jedi’s _dead_.”

Obi-Wan’s heart stopped. _What?_ It couldn’t be… he’d have known if a Jedi had died. Still, he perked his head up slightly, listening.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Reg skeptically, “Those rumors spread at every major battle.”

“Nah, man, this one’s _serious_.” The man insisted, “I don’t know which one, but he was fighting _Grievous_. Apparently, he got real hurt, and then _bam_, just snuffed it later in the hospital.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t breathe. _Plo_ he thought, or Vos. Plo could have died of oxygen poisoning. And Vos… both Grievous and Vos turned the corner of the street… only Grievous came back around. Vos hadn’t stopped him. He never thought about what that must have meant.

Was he responsible for the death of a friend? Possibly more than one. He dropped his fork, his fingers didn’t work. He was going to throw up.

Shaking, he forced himself to act natural, listening to the conversation that was going on around him.

But it had moved on. They were talking about Raxinian flu. Obi-Wan had heard enough. He excused himself, and left the bar, walking outside.

He sat on his speeder, looking out to the semi-deserted street in front of him.

The bounty hunters could have bad information… but everything else they had said was true. There was no evidence that this was any different.

He felt a tear on his cheek. Plo had died protecting him. And Vos… Neither of them deserved to die like that, whether it was both of them or one or the other. They both deserved better. To think either of them died for his sake…

Obi-Wan put his head in his hands.

He wasn’t worth it.


	10. Chapter 10

“Skywalker,” said a voice behind Anakin.

He recognized that voice. He turned to see the familiar Jedi Master.

“Master Plo!” he said, “it’s good to see you back on your feet.”

Anakin offered him the seat across from him in the mess. Plo sat.

“I just got up to speed on the situation,” said Plo. “I know this must be challenging for you, but Masters Vos and Shaak ti will have him back.”

Anakin looked down at his plate. People had been giving him similar pep talks all week. It didn’t change the fact that it was now well into week two without seeing Obi-Wan.

“What do your feelings tell you?”

Anakin looked up at the Jedi Master. “That he is still alive.”

“Is that all?”

Anakin had never considered going deeper. He closed his eyes, again, focusing on Obi-Wan. He felt his Master’s presence yet again. He smiled slightly; it was good to feel Obi-Wan, alive and fighting. 

But something was different. There was this great sense of loss, remorse, and sadness that lingered in his Master’s consciousness… And something else. He felt… far away. As though shrouded by something… Something dark. He focused harder on that darkness, trying to understand what it was.

Anakin gasped and opened his eyes.

“What is it?” asked Master Plo.

“I don’t know… It was like something was trying to block him from me… this darkness. Like someone was trying to hide him from me.”

“Someone?”

“Someone using the dark side… Maybe Dooku?”

That left an unsettling air.

“We should tell the council. Maybe Yoda can help you understand what you felt.”

…

Obi-Wan’s eyes shot open. He was still on his speeder, outside the bar, but his mourning had been interrupted by something.

He had attempted to reach out through the force and feel for Master Plo or Vos. No good. The force around him felt… cold. Dark. Maybe because he was in Separatist space… Dooku’s territory. He couldn’t see through the haze of the Dark Side to see if his friends were still alive.

But he did feel something.

Anakin was reaching out to him again. The boy’s power was strong enough to breach through the darkness that seemed to surround him. But before Obi-Wan could decipher what Anakin was trying to do, there was a sharp… something. Like someone had pushed his friend back, plunging Obi-Wan back into darkness.

_Sidious_.

Obi-Wan was almost positive the Sith Lord was behind this. But what was he doing? Hiding Obi-Wan from his friends? If that were true, why couldn’t Sidious find him himself? Because Obi-Wan was now sure he couldn’t…

Before Obi-Wan was able to give this any thought, he felt someone behind him.

“I’m alright, Rol,” he said. He knew the young Twi’lek had noticed him leave the bar.

“Not Rol,” said the voice.

It was Duke.

“Oh,” said Obi-Wan, “sorry, I—”

“Why are you here?” Duke interrupted.

“…I need a ride to—”

“—Yeah, yeah, I know that reason,” he said, “I mean _why_ do you need a ride? Who _are_ you? And do you seriously expect me to believe you just… don’t want _any_ pay out of this? I mean, with a cut of this job you could get a ride to Devaron and have plenty left over. Why are you _really here_?”

Obi-Wan couldn’t find an explanation that would suit him. Especially not now, with so many things on his mind.

“Here, let me take a guess,” Duke continued, “you’re on the run. Or you’re scamming us. Or! Wait for it… Both. And everyone’s telling me ‘Duke, you’re paranoid, how could a poor cripple do something like that’ but you _have _lied to us. You _have._”

“What do you mean?”

“The guys inside? Yeah, they were talking about the Raxinian flu. Apparently, this is the biggest outbreak in thirty years. That it’s been at an all-time low since now.”

Duke looked Obi-Wan up and down, “how old are you exactly? Because if you just learned about this flu from being on planet as a teenager, you’d have to be a lot older than fifty… But you don’t _look_ older than fifty. Not to mention you spent all that time on Mandalore but aren’t up to date on its politics. And, hey, come to think of it, where _did _you learn Twi’leki? Cause it’s not a very _popular_ language, now is it? And if you’re such a defenseless cripple, who taught you to shoot a blaster?”

Obi-Wan stared at the man in front of him. How could he explain this? He was right, Obi-Wan had been sloppy coming up with his cover story. It was this stupid darkness that seemed to surround him, it muddled his thoughts. He was always tired, he couldn’t focus… of course Duke was going to be suspicious. He should have taken a part of the payout. He could have bought a shuttle to the nearest Jedi Temple, Duke was right. But he was so worried about Arnie leaving him behind… so desperate to get medical attention for his leg, he had been stupid.

“I—” Obi-Wan began, “—You’re right.”

Duke looked very surprised by this. Obi-Wan figured the only way to get through this was too pick one section of his lie and just roll with it.

He picked Mandalore.

“I… wasn’t born with my leg like this. I fought in the Mandalorian Civil War when I was younger. That’s where I learned how to shoot a blaster… and fly. I was loyal to Duchess Satine. When she was killed… I had to run for it. The new Duke’s got a bounty on my head. With so many bounty hunters roaming around looking for that Jedi… And the battle droids—I wasn’t kidding about not getting along well with them… I don’t know. I guess I wanted off that planet as soon as possible. I really _do_ have family on Devaron. I just… I was in a hurry to get there.”

Wow that was a lot of lying all at once. Since when did Obi-Wan improvise this much? And what was his obsession with Mandalore recently? Well… besides the obvious.

Duke sat down next to him on the speeder, clearly trying to take in the bullshit Obi-Wan had just spewed at him.

“What about the Twi’leki? And the flu?”

_Pull it together Obi-Wan_, he thought. He had completely forgotten about that.

“I’m bookish,” said Obi-Wan. That was actually 100% the truth. Obi-Wan decided to stay with it. “I was… fibbing about how educated I was. Or at least letting you guys assume I wasn’t. I was part of the Mandalorian government. We were trying to give aid to the victims of Raxinian flu before Duchess Satine died.”

This was also true. Satine had been trying to organize help of Raxus for months before her passing. But with the war… no one had gone for it.

“I technically _have_ credits,” said Obi-Wan, “just not _with_ me. Once I get to Devaron—”

But Obi-Wan stopped. Something was wrong. He felt the Force shift around him. But he couldn’t quite place what it was…

“What?” said Duke.

Obi-Wan heard the rustle of a struggle. Duke seemed to hear the same thing.

They both turned, looking around.

“There,” said Obi-Wan, pointing to the alley behind the bar.

Obi-Wan and Duke snuck to the alleyway, peaking around to see what was happening.

It was not good. Arnie, Rol, and Marian were struggling greatly against a group of no less than ten large figures in hoods. It was a loosing battle. One of the figures hit Rol over the head with an Electrolance. The young Twi’lek crumbled. Marian and Arnie yelled in protest, but they were immediately gaged.

“_No_” Duke breathed.

They watched, helpless, as the figures dragged their friends away.

“What was that?” Obi-Wan asked Duke, “what did they want?”

“Arnie owes credits. Well… we both do. Like, a lot of credits. Our share was going to cover it and then some… but they must be getting impatient.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. This wasn’t about him, which meant there wasn’t a Sith Lord waiting for them on the other side. That meant they could beat it.

“Alright,” said Obi-Wan, “come on. We have to follow them, or we’ll never find them.”

Obi-Wan and Duke crept after the group. Luckily, they didn’t get into speeders. They threw hoods over Arnie and Marian, spinning them around to make them loose their sense of direction, and then led them through the system of back alleys, and into the basement of what appeared to be a barber shop.

“Come on.”

Obi-Wan led the way around the building, finally finding a window to the basement, and opening it slightly.

The two men waited, holding their breath, when finally, voices could be heard inside.

They shrunk into the shadows of the building, listening…

“So, it’s done?” said a voice.

“Yes, sir. We have him and two young companions… Are you sure we should have taken them as well? What if their disappearance is noticed?

“And risk them taking the diamonds out from under us? Not a chance. Speaking of which, did you check the bathroom for the husband?”

Duke stiffened next to Obi-Wan but stayed quiet.

“Yeah, he’s not there. You think he didn’t come?”

“No. No he’s out there somewhere. We’ll have to move quickly. I’ll interrogate our guests. Find out where they parked their ship.”

“You don’t have to. I found the parking receipt in the Basalisk’s pocket. I’ll get some guys and we’ll go get the diamonds.”

Duke slowly closed the window. They crept around the corner of the building, staying low.

“We can’t let them have those diamonds. Forget our debt, Rol and Marian have big plans for these credits, and we can’t let that scum take it away from them.”

Obi-Wan nodded. Duke was right, they had to do something. But Obi-Wan was having serious trouble thinking clearly. That darkness that he had felt chase Anakin away, it seemed to be cutting off any blood flow to his brain. Now that there was an emergency, Obi-Wan realized he didn’t have the brainpower to figure out what to do.

“We have to move the ship,” he said, “so they can’t find it.”

But that was as far as he could plan. His head pounded. How was he going to pull of rescue like this? And with no lightsaber…

Duke nodded, but he seemed troubled.

“What?” asked Obi-Wan, thinking he had a better idea.

“You… you don’t think they’ll hurt him, do you?”

He was worried about his husband. Obi-Wan was so concerned about not being able to think clearly, he forgot that most people don’t live this kind of life. Where loved one’s got put into danger left and right.

“No.” Obi-Wan assured Duke. “At the very least, they’ll be afraid of losing their payout. They’ll be alright.”

Duke nodded, standing. Together they hurried back to the speeders as fast as Obi-Wan’s leg would allow.

They reached the ship before the men in hoods did. However, they came across a slight problem.

“Battle droids,” Obi-Wan groaned. All of his problems seemed to concern battle droids.

“Arnie has the parking ticket. They won’t let us take the ship.”

“Arnie doesn’t have the ticket,” Obi-Wan corrected, “that guy does. So, the droids will let _him_ take the ship.”

“Crap! You’re right.”

They crouched behind their speeders, looking out at the battle droids on the hanger.

“Any ideas?” asked Duke. “Besides stealing our own ship.”

“We could walk up and ask them nicely.”

“You think that would work?”

“Of course not!” Obi-Wan exclaimed. “Have you ever met a battle droid? They’re stupid and are programmed to shoot things that confuse them.”

“How are we supposed to steal our ship?”

Obi-Wan scanned the area. This should be easy, but the minute he went into problem solving mode he developed a splitting headache. He couldn’t focus on anything for too long. His vision seemed to blur at the effort. Was it his imagination or could he hear wicked laughter? Sidious’s laughter.

“You got your blaster?” he asked Duke.

“I’m not shooting _any _battle droids,” said Duke. “Sorry, but I like life.”

“No, no, if you run up to that ridge and shoot at nothing in particular the droids will go investigate and I should be able to sneak onto the ship and fly it away. I’ll meet you back here.”

Duke thought for a moment, probably thinking about the idea of letting Obi-Wan fly the ship full of diamonds without supervision. Then he nodded. “Alright. But hurry back.”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Duke disappeared. Obi-Wan kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. How long had Sidious had this hold on him? Was it really Sidious? Maybe Obi-Wan was just tired.

Obi-Wan looked at the twenty battle droids that were patrolling the area. No. It was Sidious. Obi-Wan knew he could have come up with a better plan faster even if he was suffering from delusions from exhaustion. A child could outsmart twenty battle droids. It should not have been so hard for Obi-Wan to make a plan.

And it wasn’t even a good plan… _Something_ was wrong with it. Something _dangerous_.

This was why Obi-Wan had been so prone to slip-ups lately… first accepting to work this job for free, he should have known how suspicious that would have looked. Then his sudden knowledge of the Raxinian flu. And now, come to think of it… Mandalore? What was _that _story? It was risky, that’s what it was. All Duke needed to do was… mention he was from Mandalore to anyone who knew what was actually going on there, and he would have to explain how he (apparently a loyal advisor of Satine) had escaped _Darth Maul_. Not to mention the fact that the timelines _still _didn’t work out. Yes, technically Obi-Wan did fight in the Mandalorian civil war (or at least protected Satine from it) but he was far too young to have _actually_ been recruited by one side or another. Both Death Watch and the Mandalorian army didn’t recruit until 21. Hopefully Duke wouldn’t notice that either.

Come to think of it, Obi-Wan didn’t even remember the last name he had made up for his new persona. His heart jumped. How could he not remember? He had _told_ Duke and Arnie. He couldn’t just make up a new one.

He thought for a moment. Tano. He had picked Tano.

That was another stupid decision. Tano? Ahsoka’s last name? It wasn’t hard to piece that together.

Obi-Wan was so wrapped in the terror of losing his own mind he almost didn’t notice the battle droids were moving towards the other end of the platform.

Duke was making his diversion.

Obi-Wan waited another moment, then looked around, and snuck onto their ship.

Everything was where it should be. Obi-Wan sat down in the pilot seat and flipped on the controls. He took off quickly, so the battle droids would double back before reaching Duke.

It worked great. The battle droids came running after him, completely forgetting about the shots they were investigating.

But something was wrong. He didn’t know _what,_ but something was _very_ wrong with this plan.

_Think!_ He scolded. But he just couldn’t. His mind was clouded and confused. Throughout his entire trip with this group, he had made almost no decisions. Arnie was in charge. He told Obi-Wan where to fly, he did all the talking, he decided where they would go to eat. He even had the type of personality that made decisions _for_ you. Like when he pressured Obi-Wan into going to get some food. Obi-Wan had gotten so used to this, he hadn’t realized that he had _lost_ the ability to make tough decisions.

All he knew was that if he was still on Neimoidia, living on the streets and avoiding droids, he’d be long dead by now.

…

“What exactly did you feel, Skywalker?” Asked Master Windu.

Anakin took a deep breath.

“It was like someone was blocking him from me,” he explained, “there was this… this darkness. I got through it at first, but then it just swallowed him up again. Like someone was trying to hide him.”

“Dooku?” asked Windu.

“Maybe… But I know what Dooku feels like. And this… I don’t know, it didn’t feel the same.”

“Sidious, you felt. _Blind_, I have been.”

“What do you mean, Master?” asked Plo Koon.

“Attempting to hurt Obi-Wan, Sidious is. Through the force, Sidious strikes another attack.”

“Sidious is trying to hurt Obi-Wan? Personally?” Anakin’s insides squirmed. How long had this been going on?

Yoda nodded. “Help him, I must. Meditate, I will.”

…

Obi-Wan was, again, faced with a difficult decision: where to park the ship. He couldn’t do it just anywhere. But he had no money to land on another platform. Plus, the droids would now label the ship as stolen.

He opted for a deserted lot outside of an apartment complex. He couldn’t keep it there long, but it would be enough.

He had a long way to travel back to the landing pad.

Something was itching in the back of his brain. He wished he could think clearly… _Something_ about this plan was off. But he couldn’t figure out _what_.

Obi-Wan shook himself slightly. He had to stop obsessing over it. For all he knew, this paranoia was Sidious as well. He still had to figure out how to rescue their three friends from a group of… what? Bounty hunters? Maybe… but he doubted it. He would have to ask Duke what they were up against.

Obi-Wan turned the corner and immediately realized what was wrong with his plan.

Duke wasn’t by the speeders.

Of _course_ he wasn’t. Obi-Wan could have hit himself for being so stupid. He had sent Duke to cause a distraction. Sure, the droids would notice, but so would the team of mysterious, hooded men that were trying steal their ship.

They had taken Duke.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. They knew someone would have had to fly the ship away… Which meant they would be waiting for them. Waiting for _him_.

Obi-Wan turned and ran in the other direction, hoping they hadn’t seen him yet.

They had.

Even with an uninjured leg, escape would have been impossible. He had sprung their trap.

They emerged from every alleyway. There were six of them.

Could he take six?

As he raised his hands to fight, the question was answered for him.

His arms felt like lead. The world spun around him. _Sidious_. How deep inside his head had the Sith Lord burrowed?

Obi-Wan dodged the first strike, but his counter was pathetic and weak. The men around him chuckled. To them, he was just a crippled, homeless man, trying to get captured with dignity.

In retrospect, that’s all he really was.

One of the men took his legs out from under him. Obi-Wan fell to the ground hard. He coughed, trying to roll out of the way, but it was no use. One of the men hefted his Electrolance and Obi-Wan’s world went dark.

…

Obi-Wan found himself back in the deserted building on Coruscant.

“No,” he said, “No, no, not _now_.”

He had to wake up, he had to help his friends, but he couldn’t. He heard the rustle of a cloak around the corner.

Like a dog afraid of a beating he ran in the opposite direction. He shouldn’t run, he told himself, Sidious couldn’t _really_ hurt him in a dream.

But he wasn’t so sure about that. The pain was always so real, and so intense. It was hard to believe he couldn’t actually die from it.

He knew it was futile, but he searched for an exit. Stupid, really. This was Sidious’s world, and it would do as Sidious wished.

Right on cue, the cloaked figure appeared in front of him.

Obi-Wan dove backwards, trying to escape, but it was too late. There was that laughter again, and Obi-Wan’s body raked with pain as Sidious’s lightning consumed him.

He cried out. It wouldn’t stop, the pain wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think. All he heard Sidious’s laughter. “Die Jedi!” he would sneer occasionally, “Die!”. There was nothing Obi-Wan could do to fight him. He needed to wake up, but as the pain rolled over him, he knew he couldn’t. He had been knocked unconscious. He was at the Sith Lord’s mercy until his body was able to regain awareness.

Sidious knew it, too. He laughed louder, pushing Obi-Wan into a corner and shocking him again. Obi-Wan felt like he was on fire. He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t flee, he couldn’t do anything but let the Sith Lord torture him into madness.

But then it stopped. Obi-Wan collapsed against floor in relief. His lungs gulped down the air they had been unable to take in. His whole body shook at the aftermath of the pain. Through the haze, he looked up, trying to see what had stopped Sidious.

“_Master_,” he croaked in relief.

Standing in the dreamscape hallway, only a few steps from Sidious and Obi-Wan, stood Yoda.

Yoda glanced down at Obi-Wan for only a moment, then returned his gaze to Sidious.

“Hurt him more, you will not. Under my protection, he is.”

Sidious seemed locked with rage. “You cannot always be here for him,” said the Sith. “He will die. You cannot stop it.”

Yoda held out his hand, and light began to shine from it. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as the warm sensation washed over him. The pain was gone, but the light did more than that. It was as though a deep frost had settled over Obi-Wan, to the point where he became used to the cold. But with Yoda’s light, it all melted away.

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. He was no longer in the deserted building. Instead, he sat in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple, leaning against the large tree in the center. Yoda stood before him.

“Master Yoda.” He held back tears of relief. The sight of Yoda, the landscape around him, it made him remember what it was like to live without fear. Without Sidious playing tricks in his mind.

“Safe, you are now. Foolish, I was, to think Sidious would pursue you on merely one plane. Protect you from now on, I will try. _Strong _you are, to have resisted him for so long.”

Obi-Wan said nothing. He wanted to tell Yoda where he was. He wanted Yoda to help him out of the mess he had gotten into. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t fully trust that this vision was not Sidious in disguise. And even if it _was_ Yoda, he couldn’t reach Obi-Wan on Raxus. This was something Obi-Wan needed to do himself.

Yoda seemed to understand his silence.

“Mmm,” he said glumly, “trust in your abilities, we do. Await your next move, we will. With you, we are.”

Obi-Wan smiled through tears. Yoda put a hand on his shoulder, and Obi-Wan awoke in the back of a speeder, a gag in his mouth, hands cuffed behind his back.


	11. Chapter 11

Obi-Wan didn’t struggle against his bonds. Why bother? If these guys wanted to take him exactly where he wanted to go, he wasn’t going to stop them.

He could still feel Yoda’s presence. It gave him strength and clarity of mind. For the first time in weeks, he was not Ben Tano, the homeless cripple, he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master. And these hooded merchants were not going to keep him from his family.

As the ride continued, Obi-Wan turned slightly, trying to get a look at who had taken him hostage. One of them had his hood down. He was a Muun, a species specific to Scipio.

The banking clan? No, the banking clan didn’t take people hostage. At least… Obi-Wan didn’t think they did.

He wasn’t looking for faces, however. He was sure their identities would be revealed to him eventually. After scanning the group, he found the figure driving the speeder had what he wanted. A ring of keys hung on his belt.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes closed for the rest of the trip. The last thing he needed was for them to knock him unconscious again.

Finally, the speeder came to a stop. Someone grabbed him roughly by shoulders and shook him, trying to wake him.

Obi-Wan stayed limp. He was shaken harder.

“I think you killed him,” said one of his captures.

“Oh, for the love of—” there was a sharp kick at Obi-Wan’s side and he opened his eyes. The man with the keys stood over him. “See? You just need to be firm, that’s all.”

“I _was._”

The two men were both Muun. The one with the keys, the voice that Duke and Obi-Wan had heard through the basement window, yanked Obi-Wan roughly to his feet and out of the speeder.

Obi-Wan fell to the pavement, but the Muun simply picked him up again. He struggled, but not too hard. He didn’t want to get into any trouble, but complete cooperation would have been suspicious.

The man behind him, pushing him roughly through the hallways of the barber shop basement, was clearly in charge of the group that had captured him. But Obi-Wan knew he answered to someone else. Hopefully, they would bring Obi-Wan to him, as well as his friends.

He was not disappointed.

Obi-Wan was shoved into a small room with no windows. Inside stood a tall Muun man, and he was leaning over…

The crew had seen better days. They had their hands tied behind their back to a support beam in the center of the room. Marian and Duke had gags in their mouths, just like Obi-Wan. Arnie’s gag was hanging around his neck. Rol was still unconscious.

Obi-Wan tried to look as nervous as possible, but honestly, their set up was sloppy. They hadn’t even blindfolded Obi-Wan on the way in. And if they were all Muuns… well, Muuns were not the strongest species. Or the brightest.

“Ah,” said the leader upon seeing Obi-Wan, “perfect. The whole gang, back together.”

“Lay off ‘im, Krol,” said Arnie, “He doesn’t have any part in this. None of them do.”

“_Be quiet_,” Krol hissed. “You had your chance.”

“But I’ve _got_ your money. You just need to give me a few more days.”

But Krol wasn’t paying attention. He approached Obi-Wan, his hands folded with dignity behind his back.

Obi-Wan put up a bit of a struggle, stepping backwards slightly. The second in command held him tightly in front of him.

“So,” said Krol, “you’re the pilot.”

Obi-Wan stared up at the man innocently. Krol gestured to him and the Muun behind him ripped Obi-Wan’s gag from his mouth so it hung around his neck. He said nothing. Looking up at the Muun in front of him with a sort of intimidated respect. Or at least that’s how he hoped it came across. 

Krol leaned in close to him.

He was old. Obi-Wan hadn’t realized until he stood so close. And there was something else; he was … sophisticated? Could that be possible? If so, they definitely weren’t bounty hunters. Who _were _they?

“Where did you park that ship, young man?”

Young man? Who talks like that? Especially in the basement of a Barber shop called Quick Snips.

Obi-Wan smiled, he didn’t lean away from the Muul, instead, he moved closer, mocking him.

“What ship?”

_Wham_. The Muun punched him right in the jaw. Obi-Wan stumbled backwards. He leaned back onto his injured leg and ended up falling into the Muun’s second in command.

The second didn’t like that. He pushed Obi-Wan forward onto the ground and kicked him in the stomach.

Obi-Wan curled up, coughing and wheezing, trying to protect his face. The second kicked him again.

His friends screamed in protest.

“Stop! Stop!” Arnie screamed, “He’s crippled, he couldn’t help it! Don’t hurt him!”

The kicking stopped. Had that actually worked? Go figure. A pair of rough hands grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him against a wall.

“I’m not playing,” said Krol, right up against his face. “You will tell me where you parked that ship, and I might leave your other leg intact.”

Well_ that_ was a thought. He’d be walking around like Darth Maul. Oh, the irony.

“You’re _getting_ your money,” Obi-Wan spat, “you couldn’t wait another week?”

The Muun hit him again.

“You don’t know of what you speak,” he growled.

But Obi-Wan thought he did. A few months before, Senator Amidala had gone to Scipio and uncovered a large scandal. The Muuns running the banks had been corrupt and had bankrupted Scipio. The issue had been resolved, sort of, and the corrupt members of the bank had been arrested. But one had fled. The Republic had been looking for him, and his following, ever since.

It seemed Obi-Wan had found them. And they were now trying to collect on some of the loans they had made before they had to run.

It was unbelievable. Here Obi-Wan thought Arnie had borrowed money from someone shady, like the Hutts. But no, he had borrowed money from the _bank_, like you were _supposed_ to. The bank just happened to be corrupt.

Obi-Wan groaned, not from the pain, but out of disgust. He had been outsmarted by a bunch of thug wannabes from the banking clan. How embarrassing. 

“Let him go!” said Arnie. “Ben, just—just tell them where the ship is.”

Obi-Wan said nothing. But Krol smiled at Arnie.

“About time you came to your senses.”

“Just promise you’ll only take our share,” said Arnie. “These guys deserve their payout; you can’t take it from them.”

Krol just chuckled, “we’ll see.”

That meant no.

He turned back to Obi-Wan, who was already starting to regret his next decision.

“So, ‘Ben’, where’s my ship?”

Obi-Wan spit at him.

He hit the old man right in the face. There was even some blood mixed in with the saliva from all the punching. Before Obi-Wan could admire his work, he was thrown across the basement floor. Someone kicked him again. Then again.

His friends were screaming again. But the Muuns didn’t listen. They beat the living crap out of him.

Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut and waited it out. It hurt, sure, but compared to Sidious? Compared to his leg? It was child’s play.

After a very long time, the kicking stopped. Obi-Wan kept his eyes closed, staying limp on the ground.

“Ah, we’re not getting anything out of him now,” said one of them.

“AND WHO’S FAULT IS THAT?!” Arnie bellowed. “WHAT? IT WASN’T BAD ENOUGH YOU GRAB US AND TIE US UP AND TRY TO STEAL FROM US? AND YOU KNOCK OUT ROL FOR NO REASON. BUT NOW YOU BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF BEN?”

“Be quiet,” snapped number two.

“NO! YOU’RE DIRTY, THAT’S WHAT YOU ARE. YOU’RE CORRUPT PIECES OF SHIT AND I’M GLAD THE REPUBLIC KICKED YOUR ASSES OUT OF SCIPIO YOU COWARDS. YOU BEAT HIM UP WITH HIS ARMS TIED BEHIND HIS BACK, YOU THINK YOU’RE TOUGH? COWARDS!”

“Gag him,” said Krol.

Arnie’s curses were replaced with angry muffled sounds.

Obi-Wan stayed still, pretending to be unconscious. He tried to assess how much damage they had done to him. He didn’t feel in as much pain as he should have… were the Muun’s just more pathetic that Obi-Wan had first thought? No… It was Yoda. He could still feel the Jedi Master’s presence, soothing his pain, giving him strength. He sent his friend a grateful message through the Force. Hopefully Yoda would understand.

Obi-Wan was lifted roughly off the floor and pushed up against the same pole as his friends. He couldn’t be sure without opening his eyes, but from feel alone he was sitting between Arnie and Rol.

Perfect.

Obi-Wan let the Muun unlock his handcuffs and relock him around the pole.

“You two,” said Krol, “come tell me when he wakes up. I’ve still got a question for him.”

Arnie growled and struggled against his restraints, but there was a soft _click_ as the door closed behind Krol.

Obi-Wan let his head fall on Rol’s shoulder. He didn’t dare open his eyes and let the guards call Krol back into the room. It was fine, he didn’t need his eyes.

He focused on Rol. The poor kid was out cold. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and used the Force for the first and last time as Ben Tano.

Consciousness came flooding back to Rol, he breathed in sharply, jerking up slightly, but Obi-Wan did his best to calm him.

“_Allesh_,” he breathed in his friend’s ear. “_Allesh._”

Safety.

The Twi’lek relaxed. Around them, the room made noise. Not much, but enough to hide their conversation. The two guards chatted about nothing in particular. Occasionally, one of their friends would make a sniff or shuffle about.

Obi-Wan and Rol laid their heads together, speaking in Twi’leki in hushed tones.

Obi-Wan explained his plan.

It would have taken less than a minute to explain, but the Twi’lek had the audacity to _fight_ with him about it.

“_No_,” he said, “_I’ll take the guard closest to the door_.”

“_Look, I have a little experience with fighting_—”

“_If he makes a run for it, you’ll never beat him to the door. I can keep him in the room. If I need help, you’ll have to come and help me. But we can’t risk him getting past you_.”

Obi-Wan hated that he was right. He grudgingly agreed. And they set their plan into action.

It was pretty simple, really, Obi-Wan just needed to keep the guards occupied for a few moments.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes. No one noticed.

“Can I offer you a tip?” he said.

Arnie jumped, looking at Obi-Wan in surprise. But Obi-Wan’s focus was on the two Muuns in front of him

The guards looked just as surprised. So surprised they didn’t immediately go get their boss as instructed. Obi-Wan realized the second in command was one of the guards. Perfect.

“What?” said the second.

“Can I offer you a tip?” he said again.

Arnie looked at him as though he had lost his mind. He couldn’t see Marian or Duke, but he assumed they had similar expressions.

Obi-Wan stretched, moving around as much as possible, trying to draw their attention away from Rol, who was still pretending to be unconscious. He looked at the guards expectantly.

The guards said nothing, so Obi-Wan continued.

“Well, to start. You should always post guards at the door. It’s risky to stand in the same room with prisoners. For another, you should _really_ have comms with you. But I think the biggest problem you guys have is that you should always assume a cripple can decide whether or not to fall down, and you shouldn’t keep your keys in plain sight.”

The second’s eyes widened in understanding. But too late. He reached down for his keys that were no longer there. Before he could react, Rol was up and on top of him.

The Twi’lek knocked the Muun to the ground, punching him in the face. They rolled around, the second tried calling out, but Rol put his hand over his mouth.

Obi-Wan took longer getting up. His guard was already on the move, but he was much closer to the door.

Obi-Wan intercepted him, dodging the jab of his Electolance. He turned and grabbed the lance, twisting it out of the Muuns hand easily, spinning it, and knocking him unconscious.

Then he lunged to Rol’s aid. The Twi’lek jumped up and out of the way and Obi-Wan knocked the second unconscious with the Electrolance.

Arnie, Duke, and Marian looked somehow horrified and ecstatic at the same time. Obi-Wan and Rol made eye contact and burst into laughter.

“You guys look so surprised!” Rol said between laughs.

“Surprised?! They look terrified!”

“Don’t worry! We’re on your side!”

Obi-Wan rushed to Arnie and undid his gag. Rol did the same for Duke and Marian.

“Wha—what…what the—” stuttered Duke.

Arnie and Marian seemed at a similar loss for words.

“No time,” said Obi-Wan, “come on.”

“How?” said Arnie.

He was referring to the handcuffs.

“Like I said,” Obi-Wan explained, “I could have used my other leg to catch myself. And his keys were _right there_.”

Rol jingled the keys in front of them happily. They undid the handcuffs, and Obi-Wan led the way out of the building.

He knew the way.

They met no one, but they would have easily outnumbered anyone they came across. When they made it outside, they simply climbed aboard the speeder Obi-Wan had been transported in, used their handy keys, and Obi-Wan drove them back to their ship.

“How did you—” Arnie began, “how did you _do _that?”

Rol and Obi-Wan laughed again.

“Well, it helped that Rol woke up at the perfect time,” Obi-Wan lied.

“Were you _ever_ unconscious?” Asked Duke.

“No,” Obi-Wan admitted, “I just needed Krol to leave the room.”

“You_ let_ them do that to you?”

Obi-Wan didn’t answer that.

“Well shit,” said Arnie.

“Are you alright?” asked Marian.

“Eh, I’ve been better,” said Obi-Wan, “but I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve got guts, Ben, I’ll give you that.”

Arnie shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Sorry about that guys. I—I didn’t want you to get involved in my debt. It’s bad enough Duke has to deal with it now that we’re married. I didn’t think they’d do something like that.”

“It’s not your fault, Arn,” said Marian, “those guys were crazy.”

“Let’s just get off Raxus,” said Duke.

“Here, here,” said Obi-Wan, eyeing another billboard with Dooku’s face on it. He had had enough of Raxus.

Right on cue, Obi-Wan guided the shuttle into the empty lot where he had parked their ship.

It was still there. Thank the Force. As they climbed aboard, Arnie turned to look at him.

“Hey Ben, where’d you learn to do all that?”

“Do what?”

“I dunno, fight that guard, steal those keys without anybody noticing, take that much of a beating without getting knocked out.”

“The Mandalorian Civil War,” said Duke matter-of-factly.

The group turned to look at them.

“Oh,” said Duke, “by the way, I was right. Ben’s got a bounty on his head.”

Obi-Wan scratched the back of his neck, feigning embarrassment.

“Yeah,” he said, “long story short I was loyal to the Duchess of Mandalore and now she’s… well the current Duke doesn’t like people who were loyal to Duchess Satine… With so many bounty hunters and droids on Neimoidia looking for that Jedi—”

The group nodded understandingly.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you guys,” he said. “Just… I needed to make sure you weren’t criminals or anything first. And once I found out you weren’t… well… how do you bring that up?”

Again, the group nodded as though this was all perfectly understandable. Arnie smiled, throwing an arm around Obi-Wan’s neck. “Hey, we’ve all got our secrets. Some of us were loyal to a noble cause whereas others took out a ridiculous amount of loans from a corrupt bank. Everyone’s different.”

The group laughed.

“Let’s get this man to Devaron,” said Arnie. “And buy him all the drinks in the world.”

They didn’t stick around. Obi-Wan and Arnie piloted their ship away from Raxus as fast as possible. As Obi-Wan flipped on the nava computer to calculate hyperspace for Rishi, he reached out through the Force.

Yoda was still there, watching over him.

_It’s alright, my friend, _he tried to say to the Jedi Master, _get some rest. I will manage without you for now._

Yoda’s presence vanished.

The cold feeling replaced him. Frost began to settle on his mind once again. Obi-Wan looked back at his group, cheerfully talking about their escape.

He thought about their screams of outrage when Krol’s men had hurt him. He thought about their acceptance of him, despite the supposed bounty on his head.

He would be okay. He had lots of people looking out for him


	12. Chapter 12

Obi-Wan’s journey started becoming steadily, steadily worse as they got closer and closer to Devaron.

His leg was reaching levels of pain Obi-Wan didn’t know were possible, plus, it was very clearly infected, and the infection was starting to take effect.

“You don’t look so good,” Arnie observed on day as they piloted to Rishi.

“Yeah, I’m getting sick. But I’ll be fine.”

“You didn’t catch that Raxinian flu, did you?”

“Nah, that’s only contagious through water supply.”

Arnie didn’t question the facts. The entire group seemed to have accepted Obi-Wan’s Mandalore story, which was good, considering Sidious was leaving no room for critical thinking.

The Sith Lord seemed to be working harder than ever before, at times Obi-Wan felt like he was drowning in darkness. He became nearsighted. His hands shook. He felt nauseous and always seemed to be either too hot or too cold.

But there _were_ things that had gotten better.

For example, the team trusted him. Although it made him feel guilty, it did lift a huge burden of stress that he had been carrying with him since he joined the mission.

What was more, Sidious rarely entered his dreams anymore.

He had the Jedi to thank for that.

Yoda had discovered his sleep schedule, and he was not alone. When Obi-Wan drifted off he could feel the Force around him shift from the dark clouds of Sidious to something more familiar.

He felt Yoda, but often he could feel Mace, or Mundi, Luminara, Fisto. Many times, he felt Anakin. Though he never felt Master Plo. Or Vos. It just seemed to confirm his suspicions that they had died protecting him.

He mourned them.

He never saw any of his friends in a dreamscape like he had seen Yoda, so he couldn’t ask them if either or both of the Jedi masters had passed. But they protected him from Sidious, and that was more than enough.

It wasn’t a perfect system, though. Sometimes, Obi-Wan would find himself dozing off before he felt his friend’s protection, or Sidious would overwhelm them. Obi-Wan would then find himself back in the hallways of the abandoned building on Coruscant. And Sidious would do his best to destroy Obi-Wan from the inside out.

It was Rol who would stop him.

Obi-Wan supposed the boy was a very light sleeper. Obi-Wan was never left to the Sith Lord’s mercy for more than a few minutes before Rol would be shaking him awake.

“_Yuja_,” he would call Obi-Wan, “_yuja_! Wake up.”

Obi-Wan had gotten used to Rol calling him yuja, a friend of the Twi’lek race, but the word choice was still confusing to him.

The travel time between Raxus and Rishi was long. And Obi-Wan was just getting weaker. Finally, they arrived on the Rishi outpost.

_One more stop_, Obi-Wan told himself. _One more stop and this will all be over._

It was too bad he had to tell himself this, because, despite the constant pain and misery that was his new reality, he greatly enjoyed his new companions.

And they were getting along better than ever.

“Rishi!” Arnie cried, “you beautiful planet, you! Finally!”

The group cheered as the tropical planet came into view.

“Alright! Alright,” said Marian over the cheering. “Before we get to excited—” she placed a hand on Arnie’s shoulder, “Arnie, are there any vigilantes on Rishi that have some reason to be mad at you?”

“Fuck you.”

“That’s a no!” said Duke. “Let’s make this stop quick, huh guys?”

The group nodded in agreement. Rishi should be infinitely easier than Raxus.

Everything got a hundred times worse after Rishi.

It started fine. The merchants at the outpost were waiting for them. As Obi-Wan landed the ship, he thought longingly about how close Kamino was. Shaak ti was less than a few hours of travel away. That was, unless she was still on Cato Neimoidia, looking for him. Suddenly, he felt guilty. His friends might _still _be on a wild goose chase for him.

The merchants were Zabraks. Interesting, Obi-Wan knew there were many Zabraks on Rishi, but he had never actually seen a group of them on the planet until now.

Obi-Wan’s heart twisted when he saw them. Darth Maul was Zabrak, and although these bore many differences in appearance, it still brought back terrible memories.

“You okay?” said Duke, as the exited the ship.

Obi-Wan was having more and more trouble hiding his emotions. Another one of Sidious’s lovely gifts. He nodded.

“Yeah, I just have a bad history with Zabraks. Well, one in particular.”

“You seem to have a bad history with just about everything,” Marian joked.

“You have no idea.”

“Welcome,” said one of the merchants, “we’re glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss this,” said Arnie, “we’ve got the diamonds in the ship, where do you need them?”

This particular outpost had a machine that could cut the Raxinian diamonds into something that could be made into jewelry, although from what Obi-Wan could piece together, it was the most expensive part of their job.

“On the platform,” said the Zabrak, “then we’ll get to work.”

The group moved the diamonds to the platform. Obi-Wan’s leg was just about ready to fall off, and he was having more and more trouble hiding his discomfort.

“You should rest,” said Rol, “you’ve done enough.”

“No,” Obi-Wan insisted, “I’ll be fine.”

“You’ve more than paid your way, Ben,” Marian said, “please just rest. You’re obviously in pain. _And_ you’re getting sick.”

Obi-Wan wanted to complain, but he just couldn’t make himself. He sat on one of the boxes on the platform, watching the Zabraks talk to one another in Zabraki.

“Hey Arnie?” said Obi-Wan as the group dropped off another load of boxes.

“Yeah?”

“I think we’ve got a problem.”

The group looked at him. “What do you mean?” said Duke.

“Well… either my Zabrak’s really rusty, or they’re about to try and up the price on us.”

“_Fuck,_” said Arnie, “do you know how?”

“uhhh…” Obi-Wan paid closer attention to the group. This was the first time he had heard this dialect. The only reason he had learned Zabraki in the first place was to try to better understand Darth Maul, back when he was grieving Master Qui-Gon’s death. He had never actually put it to use.

“From what I can put together, something about timelines. Maybe they’re going to say the diamonds take longer to cut than we can spend on Rishi?”

“Fuck them,” said Marian, “they’re already costing us a small fortune, now they want _more_?”

“Don’t worry,” said Arnie, “I’ve got it.”

One of the Zabraks approached the group.

“I hope you have had a good journey so far?”

“Eh, it’s had some problems,” said Arnie, “but we’re doing pretty well. In fact, we’re way ahead of schedule.”

“Really?” said the Zabrak, glancing back at his group.

“Oh, yeah,” Arnie said, “it’s good to have some breathing room, you know?”

The Zabrak hesitated, “yes,” he said, “well I have some bad news…but now it doesn’t seem as bad as I thought. We can’t cut the diamonds under the timeline we discussed. I just don’t have the manpower.”

“Oh? That’s a shame.”

“Yes… I could probably speed it up a bit, if I had enough to pay a few extra guys…”

“Oh, well, that’s alright. I mean, we’d prefer to get out of here quick, but not if it’s too expensive.”

The Zabrak paused. “I’ll give you a fair price. Say… fifty credits.”

Arnie laughed, “I’m not in that much of a hurry.”

“Twenty-five, then.”

“Ten.”

“Fifteen.”

“Alright.”

There was an exchange, and the Zabrak went back to his group, clearly disappointed.

Once he was far enough away, the group celebrated silently, patting Arnie and Obi-Wan on the back and pumping their fists.

A few Zabrak’s noticed their celebrations, and glared at Obi-Wan, clearly putting two and two together.

If it was any other species, Obi-Wan would have brushed it off. Instead, his throat closed with fear. He knew there were many honorable and kind Zabrak’s in the galaxy. He had just never _met_ any before.

“Hey,” said Duke, “are you sure you’re okay?”

Obi-Wan forced himself to breathe.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I’m just paranoid.”

“What’s bugging you?” said Arnie.

He looked at his group. It was obvious they cared for him. He knew he couldn’t tell them the whole truth – that would just put them in danger. But this? This might be alright.

“There’s one Zabrak in particular… He—uh… he hurt a lot of people very important to me. I guess… I guess I’m not very comfortable around them.”

The group looked at him with concern. 

“But these guys should be fine. I mean… this Zabrak was from Dathomir. Everyone from Dathomir is a bit… well… These guys are fine, I know that.”

But that didn’t seem to impress his friends.

“I have to go down to another section of the outpost to pick up some supplies for Scipio,” said Marian. “you can come with me. Get away from here.”

On one hand, Obi-Wan’s leg hurt so much, he probably shouldn’t walk more than he needed to… on the other, there was a red Zabrak who looked a lot like Maul that kept glancing over in their direction…

“Yeah,” he said, “that sounds like a good idea.”

So, they headed out. Even though his leg sent pain spiking through his body, it was good to get away.

“So…” said Marian, clearly fighting her curiosity, “this was on Mandalore?”

Obi-Wan nodded. 

“Yes. His name is Maul. He…”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how far to go. Technically, even saying the name was risky, although no one really knew about Maul’s existence except for those who followed him on Mandalore.

“…he killed my father,” said Obi-Wan, “and one of my closest friends.”

It felt good to say it allowed, though it probably wasn’t wise. The darkness around Obi-Wan was making it hard for him to handle these emotions by himself.

Marian stopped and laid a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“Oh my god, Ben—,”

She didn’t continue, she didn’t have to. Obi-Wan smiled sadly at her.

“It’s alright,” he said, “it’s in the past.”

She didn’t seem to enjoy that answer. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. She didn’t let go until they reached the store.

Turns out what they just needed a few things for packaging the jewelry once they sold it. It went by quickly, and even better, it was very light to carry. Obi-Wan’s leg didn’t protest any more than usual as he grabbed his bags and they headed back.

They turned a corner outside the store, and Obi-Wan almost dropped his bags.

The red Zabrak was standing in front of him, flanked by two others.

“What do you want?” said Marian, stepping in front of Obi-Wan slightly.

But the Zabrak kept his eyes on Obi-Wan.

“You speak the language,” he said. “You spied on our private conversation?”

“You mean the conversation where you tried to _scam_ _us?_” Marian asked.

The Zabrak did not look amused. His nostrils flared in anger. Obi-Wan grabbed Marian, trying to make her stop. The one thing Obi-Wan knew about Zabraks is that they were prideful. They didn’t take well to insults.

“If you spy on me or my brothers again, _scum_—”

“—I’m sorry,” said Obi-Wan, holding back Marian from making another comment, “it won’t happen again, I promise.”

The Zabrak glared at him, but passed. His two brothers followed him, as the second one passed, Obi-Wan heard him mutter “I _know _it won’t.”

The brother kicked his bad foot out from under him, sending him sprawling forward onto the pavement.

He wasn’t ready for it, he didn’t catch himself, and he hit his head on the ground. Hard.

“Hey!” said Marian. But the Zabraks just chuckled and kept walking.

Obi-Wan felt a light hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” Marian asked.

No. He was definitely not okay. He shook from the pain in his leg. It spiked up and down his body, sending waves of nausea crashing down on him. But there was something else. He touched his forehead. His hand came back bloody.

“Oh no,” said Marian. “Come on.”

She supported Obi-Wan and they made their way back to the ship.

“What happened!?” Duke asked as they approached.

“Those fucking Zabraks happened! They kicked Ben’s bad leg out from under him. He hit his head pretty hard.”

Duke and Rol came rushing up, taking Obi-Wan from Marian and guiding him to the ship.

Arnie took out a small medic kit. Obi-Wan had looked through it his first night. It was too small to have anything to help his leg. But his friends didn’t think his leg was the biggest problem.

“You’ve probably got a concussion,” Arnie told him.

He definitely had a concussion. He was having even more trouble focusing. But there was something else. The darkness that surrounded him, it got thicker. Laughter seemed to emanate from all around him. The concussion was _aiding _Sidious.

That was bad. The last thing Obi-Wan needed was for Sidious to have _another_ advantage.

Duke patched up his cut. He seemed to do a pretty good job of it too, but the damage had been done. Sidious had burrowed deeper into his head, and he was going to wreak all kinds of havoc.

“You’ll be fine,” said Duke, “but you should get some sleep, it’ll help.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. He _couldn’t_ go to sleep. Sidious was too deep inside his head. He needed Yoda, but Yoda wouldn’t know to help him for hours. They had a schedule, a schedule that was all falling apart.

“No? why not?”

“_Obyrru_” Rol said simply.

“What’s that?” said Arnie.

“Nightmares,” Obi-Wan translated weakly. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. This is only going to make them worse.”

“I don’t think you’ve got a choice, Ben,” said Duke.

Obi-Wan knew what he meant. His body was actively fighting consciousness.

He nodded glumly, lying back.

“I’m gonna give those idiots a piece of my mind,” Arnie growled.

“No,” Obi-Wan said quickly. “please don’t. I’ll be fine. There’s no point causing trouble.”

“_Causing trouble?_” said Arnie, “_Me_? _They’re_ the ones causing trouble.”

But Marian grabbed his arm and shook her head. “It’s fine, Ben,” she told Obi-Wan, “I’ve got it, you rest.”

She gestured subtly to the group to follow her off to the side. Obi-Wan held an ice pack to his forehead, trying to stay conscious. He didn’t want to sleep— he didn’t want to face Sidious.

He overheard his friends talking.

“What is he talking about ‘don’t cause trouble’?” Arnie grumbled, “they gave him a fucking concussion.”

“He’s _scared_ of them,” said Marian, “he told me why he was so uneasy around Zabraks. Guys, one of them _killed __his father_ and _best friend_ on Mandalore. He’s got PTSD. He doesn’t want to get into any more trouble with them.”

Obi-Wan thought about that. Was he scared of these people who had done nothing to harm him? (well, except the one that gave him a concussion). He didn’t even _know _them. Had Maul hurt him so badly that the whole species became terrifying to him? Or was this Sidious, creating problems as usual?

He would probably never know. At that moment, he slipped into unconsciousness.

The hallway was so much worse than usual. The walls and floors seemed slippery. He couldn’t pull himself in one way or another. Gravity didn’t seem to work like it should, he felt like at any second, he would float away. Sidious left him like that, for what felt like days. Seconds crawled by, and Obi-Wan tried to move, but the air felt like glue. He couldn’t go anywhere. He couldn’t run. It made the whole experience worse. 

Then Sidious stood before him, laughing.

“Look how easy you’ve made it,” he sneered, “_weak!_ Weak Jedi! You deserve the death that will come.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t run, he couldn’t even stand. He kneeled in front of the Sith Lord, waiting for the pain.

And there it was. Blinding, deafening pain. His throat closed, his heart stopped, he was dying. He was never going to wake up. He—

“Ben! Ben wake up!”

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open, his friends stood over him, concerned looks on their faces.

“I’m fine,” he breathed. “I’m fine.”

He was mostly telling himself.

“This happens every night?” asked Duke.

“No,” Obi-Wan lied.

Rol coughed.

“Most nights,” Obi-Wan admitted.

Rol let it slide.

Obi-Wan grabbed his head. It pounded, sending sharp pains between his eyes. His leg was even worse, the pain had not subsided at all, he could feel it in his teeth. He could still feel Sidious’s lightning.

“How long have I been asleep?” asked Obi-Wan.

“A few hours,” said Marian. “We’re almost ready to pack up.”

Relief flooded him. He had slept for longer than he thought. They could leave Rishi. If he could just get to Devaron—to Master Halsey…

“Ben…” said Arnie, “Marian told us—y’know— about what happened to you. If we had known—”

“You _didn’t_ know.” Obi-Wan was already regretting telling them so much. He felt connected to them, but he had to remember that he was still lying through his teeth to them. This was just a lie that spoke to the truth. But that didn’t give him any right to take their kindness. “I’m really alright.”

They didn’t seem convinced, but just then there was a tap on the door to the ship. The group turned to look at the opening to see the head of the Zabrak group.

Duke and Arnie were on their feet immediately. They stepped in front of Obi-Wan, as though trying to protect him.

“Can I help you?” asked Arnie rudely.

“I heard about what some of my workers did to your friend,” said the Zabrak, “I put them on probation. I hope he’s alright.”

“He’s been better,” Duke spat.

“I’m fine,” said Obi-Wan from behind them, “It’s kind of you to drop by.”

He grabbed the side of the ship, pulling himself to his feet so he could get a better look at the Zabrak. Marian and Rol put a hand on each shoulder, trying to keep him lying down, but he shook them off.

The Zabrak shook his head, “it’s never fine to resort to violence. I’m not going to pretend we’re saints—,” the man smiled, “—we are merchants, after all. But our race gets a bad reputation from a few bad seeds.”

“From Dathomir,” Obi-Wan guessed.

A disgusted look passed over the Zabrak’s face. “That witch claims to have birthed our whole race to be just like those monsters. Did I hear your friends say you were from Mandalore?”

Obi-Wan’s heart skipped a beat.

“I haven’t been in years, but yes.”

The Zabrak nodded, “apparently a Zabrak from Dathomir attack Mandalore just a few months back. So, you understand.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He felt like throwing up. And it wasn’t just from the leg. He was talking about Savage Oppress, not Maul. No one knew about Maul. But still, it stung. If only this man knew it was Obi-Wan’s fault. Then he’d be less kind.

The Zabrak left, and Obi-Wan sat down again. He had never felt worse. The pain never went away. And now there was this emotional stress that seemed to follow him everywhere he went.

Marian put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “there’s nothing to be sorry about. It was nice of him to do that.”

His team didn’t discuss it again. They told him to rest, while they loaded the rest of the boxes onto the ship.

Obi-Wan laid his head against the headrest of the co-pilot’s seat. He let himself take a few deep breaths. Rishi had not gone well. But he had to pull himself together. He was in the homestretch. He could collapse when he was in the safety of the Temple. But not here, not now.

Everything hurt. Not just his leg. Every breath he took felt sharp. The arm that had been shot was starting to ache again. He had a spitting headache.

And he could _still_ feel Sidious’s force lightning.

He was never going to make it another few days at this rate. He took another breath. He knew what he had to do to get to the temple. He didn’t like it, but he knew what he had to do.

“Alright,” said Arnie. “almost done! Let’s put this shit planet behind us, shall we?”

The group cheered.

Arnie sat down in the pilot’s seat and turned to Obi-Wan.

“You good?” he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. But that was a lie. He was far from good. It would be a long time until he was good. But alive? He was alive. And he would stay alive, no matter what.


	13. Chapter 13

Padmé woke up when Anakin did. Somehow, her husband didn’t need an alarm to wake up at a specific time. She always envied that about him.

He went to the foot of the bed, sat down on the bench there, and closed his eyes.

He had done this every other night for almost a week and a half now.

It was three am.

Padmé went and sat beside him. The first few nights, she had been careful not to disturb him, but now she knew better. He told her her presence only made it better.

She wrapped her arm around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder. He didn’t move, staying in the same straight-back position.

After a few minutes of silence, he huffed in frustration and stood.

“Dammit Obi-Wan,” he said, pacing up and down the foot of the bed.

“What is it?”

Anakin rubbed his eyes in frustration, then he sighed and sat again. His shook his head solemnly.

“He’s not sleeping.”

“What?”

“Sidious attacks him when he sleeps. We’ve been protecting him… but he’s not sleeping.”

“At all?” said Padmé.

Anakin put his head in his hands. He nodded.

She held her husband, trying to reassure him, but her mind was moving a mile a minute.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sleeping? Why not? What was wrong with him?

“Jedi can go a long time without sleep, can’t they?”

“Not in his state. He shouldn’t be doing this to himself. He shouldn’t _have _to do this to himself. We should be protecting him.”

Padmé made him look at her. “You’re doing everything you can. _All_ of you. He wouldn’t be doing this to himself unless he had faith that he would survive in the end. You have to stop punishing yourself for this.”

Anakin said nothing, letting her hold him.

“I have to go to the Temple,” he said finally, “I have to talk to Yoda about this.”

Padmé nodded. She hated the idea of letting him be on his own, but she knew this was something he had to figure out with the other Jedi.

She watched her husband get dressed and leave. Sitting in bed, she discovered she wouldn’t be able to sleep now either. What was Obi-Wan hiding from that was so important he couldn’t get even a few moments of sleep? What was hunting him?

Her face was wet with tears. Obi-Wan didn’t deserve this. Well, no one deserved this. But definitely not Obi-Wan, who was always so kind. He had faced enough pain already. He had helped so many people, and now they couldn’t even help him.

…

Obi-Wan could feel the council’s frustration. What was worse, he could feel Anakin’s fear, his despair.

But he _wouldn’t_ sleep.

They were only one more night away from Devaron. If he could just stay awake. Stay out of Sidious’s dreamscape at all costs, he would make it.

It wasn’t the only precaution he took.

The first night after Rishi, he waited until everyone was asleep, and searched through the medical kit again.

There were pain killers in there.

He had initially ignored them, because they were too potent. They were used to stop the pain when you had to stitch up a wound. He would have used them while tying up his leg. But for constant use? No way. Pain was the body’s way of slowing you down, so you didn’t do too much damage. He would end up hurting himself badly if he took the painkillers consistently.

He took them consistently.

Yeah. Not great, but definitely his only option. He would never be able to function under so much pain. Forget move around and be a productive human being, just the idea of keeping quiet and still in his previous pain was too much to handle. Not to mention he still had to get to the temple after they arrived on Devaron.

He suspected taking the pills would be hard to do unnoticed, but it turned out to be very simple. There would always be a moment every day when he could pop a pill, either when he was flying alone, or by dropping it into his food packet and eating it. No one noticed the disappearance of the pills from the medic kit.

Not sleeping was a lot harder to hide. Turns out Rol was not just a light sleeper, he almost never slept as well, and he noticed Obi-Wan’s sudden refusal to rest.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, “is it the nightmares?”

Obi-Wan would assure him it wasn’t, but the young Twi’lek was less than impressed.

So, Obi-Wan had to pretend to sleep, which made it very hard to stay awake. And Rol still didn’t seem to buy it.

He meditated when he pretended to sleep, trying to build up his strength.

Tonight was different than most. The council seemed to have lost their patience with him.

As Obi-Wan laid on his cot. Pretending to sleep, he suddenly felt a shift in the force.

It was as though the weight of the entire galaxy was lifted off his chest. He breathed easily for the first time in over a month. It felt like home.

He could feel the entire council. They had clearly all converged, trying to get him to sleep.

He wanted to, oh, by the Light, he wanted to, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t risk it. If Sidious got even a second of time in Obi-Wan’s dreams, he knew he would kill him. Obi-Wan had no more strength. And Sidious knew that.

He dove into the force, trying to communicate his gratitude to his friends, but also his apology. He couldn’t use their gift. He had to stay awake.

One more day. That was all he needed. Just one more day.

…

“What is he _doing_?” said Master Mundi, “it’s like he’s blocking us.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” said Master Windu, “he’s definitely grateful. And letting us help him. He’s just not sleeping.”

“Why, though?” said Master Koth, “is it possible there are so many droids roaming Cato Neimoidia that he can’t find a place to rest?”

“I don’t think so,” said Shaak ti, over coms. “We have control over certain areas of the city. If Obi-Wan really was worried about being found, he would simply find a section of town where Clones were more prevalent than droids.”

“This has to do with Sidious,” said Anakin, “I’m sure of it. What I don’t understand is why all of a sudden. He was fine just a few days ago.”

“Mmm,” said Yoda, “weak, Obi-Wan has become. Happened, something has. An injury, perhaps.”

“Hurt?” said Anakin, “_Again_?”

Yoda grimaced, “little time, we have. Stretched thin, he is.”

The room was plunged into silence. Never before had the Jedi felt so helpless. They had lost members before, of course, but never like this. And if they lost Obi-Wan, they lost much more than a friend. If Yoda was right, they were losing the future of everything they swore to protect.

“I’ll go back to Neimoidia,” said Mundi, “try and help in any way I can.”

But they all knew that one more Jedi was not going to do much good.

None of them could think of a scenario where Obi-Wan survived the next few days.

…

The group loaded the last box of jewelry onto the ship. But the usual joy that followed a successful stop was nowhere to be found.

“So…” said Arnie, “is there anywhere specific we should drop you?”

It was tempting. So—_so_ tempting, to ask them to take them directly to the temple. But he knew he couldn’t. If there were still scouts from the separatists watching the temple, they wouldn’t stop Obi-Wan, but they would document any ships that came by. He couldn’t get them in trouble if Dooku put two and two together.

“No,” said Obi-Wan, “you’ve all done enough. I can make it from here.”

The group exchanged looks. Obi-Wan didn’t like those looks. Something was up.

“So… Ben. We were talking a few days ago—” said Arnie, “and… we were wondering. After you go see your family and get over your cold and all that. If you wanted to, you know, be a part of the team.”

Obi-Wan’s heart swelled. They wanted him to stay. He was beyond flattered. He smiled sadly, if only his life were so simple that he could say yes.

“I’m honored,” said Obi-Wan, “but… I can’t.”

“Is this about the bounty?” said Duke, “because we don’t care about that.”

“No,” said Obi-Wan, “it’s… I’ve got responsibilities. And a family that needs me. I’m not… I’m not exactly who you think I am. I’m sorry, but I have to refuse.”

The looked at him glumly for a moment. But just when Obi-Wan thought they were going to try to argue with him again, Duke said,

“Well, damn,” and suddenly he Marian, and Arnie were rummaging through their pockets. They gave Rol a few credits each.

“What—?” said Obi-Wan.

“Rol bet us all that you’d say no,” Marian explained.

“We thought we had this in the bag,” said Arnie, “I guess Rol is just smarter than us all.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, “I could have told you that much.”

Rol smiled. He counted his credits, took out a small pouch, and dumped them inside. Then he did something truly unexpected. He approached Obi-Wan, took his hand, and placed the pouch in his palm.

Obi-Wan looked at the money that he had just been given, then back up at Rol.

“I can’t—I can’t take your money,” he said.

“It’s not my money,” said Rol, “it’s theirs.”

“I can’t take _their_ money either.”

“Sure you can.”

Obi-Wan forced the credits into his friend’s hand, “I’m serious.”

“It’s for transportation,” said Rol, “the Temple is far from here.”

Obi-Wan jumped and looked up at the young man suddenly. _How_ did he know where Obi-Wan was going?

“Temple?” said Arnie, “what temple?”

Duke and Marian seemed just as confused. Obi-Wan paid them no mind, staring at Rol.

“How… How long have you _known_?”

“Known what?” asked Marian, “Ben what’s going on?”

“Known that he was a Jedi,” said Rol.

Obi-Wan’s breath caught at the Twi’lek’s words. He stepped backwards, letting the credits drop the ground.

He didn’t meet anyone’s eye.

“What are you talking about? A Jedi?”

“_The_ Jedi. The one they’re hunting on Neimoidia.”

Obi-Wan had to sit down. His head was spinning. He knew. He knew the entire time and he had never said anything.

He sat on one of the boxes.

“I don’t… How long have you known?”

“Since I saw you on Neimoidia.”

Obi-Wan stared at him, jaw dropped. “You just… let me spew all those _lies_. And the _whole_ time you _knew?_”

Rol just shrugged, like the whole thing was no big deal. The others took it a bit differently.

“A _Jedi?_” said Duke.

Obi-Wan winced, he hated that he lied to them. But now that they knew, it was so much worse. How was he supposed to explain why he lied?

“I’m so sorry,” he told the three of them. “I—I couldn’t tell you. Not because I didn’t trust you, but…” he closed his eyes, sighing, “there are a lot of dangerous people after me. It’s bad enough I put you all in danger by lying my way onto your ship, but the more you knew the more danger you would be in. I—”

But it was no use. They were starting shift from shocked to mad. Obi-Wan couldn’t blame them.

“So that whole Mandalore story,” said Marian, “the shit about your father and friend getting killed by a Zabrak—”

“Was completely true,” said Obi-Wan, “well, in a certain sense. I did fight in the Mandalorian Civil War. My Master and I protected Duchess Satine from it. That’s how I met her. We were very close, even after the war was over. The Zabrak’s name is Maul. He… killed my Master on Naboo a good number of years later. He’s a Sith Lord. I… didn’t finish him. And he’s… he’s hurt a lot of people since. Including taking over Mandalore and killing Satine.”

The group looked at him, still obviously trying to comprehend what they were hearing.

Obi-Wan looked at his feet.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I… it was overwhelming. What was happening to me on Neimoidia. I needed to get off that planet. And I’m afraid I was rather inconsiderate in the way I did it.”

There was a hand on his shoulder. Marian was standing over him.

“What do they want?” she asked.

Obi-Wan felt like crying. Instead he chuckled. “I don’t know. I have no idea why, but I’m suddenly the most wanted person in the galaxy. Everyone’s trying to kill me, and I haven’t done anything. At least… nothing more than usual.”

He looked up at the people around him, they looked… sad? They couldn’t possibly be sympathizing with him right now. After all the lies? He must look truly pathetic.

“Well,” said Duke, “that explains…”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, “Oh? What does it explain?”

“You’ve always had this… disturbing dignity about you. It was pretty annoying.”

Obi-Wan laughed. They didn’t hate him. That was good.

“I _still_ don’t understand how you’ve known this _entire_ time,” he said to Rol.

Rol just smiled, never taking his eyes off of Obi-Wan’s face.

“We’ve met before.”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. He scanned the Twi’lek’s face, but nothing pulled at his memory.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, “I don’t remember…”

Rol shook his head, “No, it wasn’t that kind of meeting. It…” he paused, clearly thinking through his words. “Do you remember the Separatist attack on Ryloth?”

“Plenty of them,” said Obi-Wan.

“Well, in this one they sent a large armada of droids, and these big, big guns into this small village—”

Obi-Wan remembered now. “—And they took hostages,” he finished.

Rol nodded.

“You were one of the hostages,” Obi-Wan guessed.

“They killed my family. And I was in this pit, with the rest of my people. We thought the Republic was going to attack, and we’d be killed in the crossfire. But as it turned out, the General leading the strike didn’t want to do that. He put his trust in a little girl, five years old, and he let her lead him through the tunnels underneath the city. He freed the us before starting the attack and getting rid of the guns.”

Rol smiled at Obi-Wan. “He was you.”

Obi-Wan remembered the fight. The little girl, Numa, had become very attached to Waxer and Boil. Of course, not as much as Waxer and Boil had become attached to her. To this day, Waxer had a drawing of the little Twi’lek on his helmet.

Rol had picked up the bag of credits and placed it in Obi-Wan’s hand again.

“That Jedi didn’t have a limp,” Rol said, “so I can only assume you’re injured. Don’t hurt yourself more. Buy transport.”

He patted Obi-Wan’s hand “from my family to yours.”

Obi-Wan was at a complete loss for words. Everything started to make sense. Rol wasn’t just a light sleeper, he was looking out for him. Rol considered this entire journey as _paying Obi-Wan back_ for what he had done on Ryloth.

He didn’t know how to explain that it was what any Jedi would have done… what any decent person would have done. That it hadn’t even been him that did the important stuff, like getting Numa to safety, and getting her to trust them, that had been Waxer and Boil.

He let his hand close over the credits. Rol was right, he needed them.

He looked at the group, the other three seemed… confused. But not mad. Not necessarily.

One day Obi-Wan would find these people again, when his mind was free of Sidious and his body free of pain. And he would explain what he had put them through. Once he understood himself, he would return to explain it to them.

“You’re some of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” said Obi-Wan. “You didn’t deserve to get lied to like this.”

He looked at the horizon, towards the Temple, “I wish I could do justice by that, but for right now all I can say is thank you.”

“We didn’t do anything,” said Arnie.

Obi-Wan smiled. He thought of all the times they made him smile, all the times they gave him hope.

“You did more than you know.”

He looked at Rol, smiling at him.

“If you find yourself back home any time soon, if you could tell Numa that my men and I still think about her often. That littler girl was one of a kind.”

Rol smiled widely at this.

Obi-Wan nodded to his friends, and with that, he turned away from them and headed towards his family.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! Loving the comments, thanks so much! This chapter is a little short but I felt that Obi-Wan needed a little TLC so here ya go. I'll post the next one on the sooner side because this is a dwarf chapter.  
Thanks for reading!

Master Halsey hated Devaron. Alright, the planet itself wasn’t too bad. There were some very nice people, and the climate could be worse. He also liked his temple, and his men. They saw fighting, but not too much. All in all, it wasn’t a bad place to be.

Except when a fellow Jedi was being hunted down by the entire Separatist army and all you could do was sit on a planet hundreds of light years away and listen to your friends over a comm system that they knew was being bugged.

Then Devaron was the worst place to be.

Master Halsey stood in his meeting room, looking at all of the holoprojections in front of him.

It was the regular meeting about nothing.

“If he _is_ even more injured, could you redirect your search to places he might hide?” asked Mace.

Vos looked just about ready to collapse. He sighed, “we’ve been trying… but he’s hiding too well. For a while we thought he might have joined a gang… for protection, you know? But we’ve scrapped the idea. There’s no way we wouldn’t have spotted him by now if he had.”

“Do you have any ideas left?” asked Luminara.

“A few,” he said.

He didn’t share them. Everyone understood.

“I’m not sure how much longer we can hold back the Senate,” said the Chancellor, “Anakin and I are trying as hard as we can, but many seem to think our troops are not doing any good on Neimoidia.”

“If we lose these troops, we’d be sacrificing Kenobi’s life,” said Vos, “they’re the only thing that’s stopping the droids from overwhelming the city. I’m sure that Kenobi’s using them to stay alive somehow… You have to hold them off just a little longer.”

Skywalker sighed, “we’ll hold them off, you just focus on finding him.”

“We’re working on it. Have you guys had any luck getting the poor guy to sleep?”

Windu shook his head. “None. I’m getting more and more worried. There has to be a _reason_ for him to stay conscious for so long. Maybe he thinks he won’t survive another attack from Sidious? But if that were true…”

“If that were true than what?” asked Skywalker.

“He’d do something desperate,” said Plo Koon. “He’d reveal himself to us, if he knew he’d be dead in a few days anyway, from sleep deprivation or Sidious.”

“If he tried to reveal himself, we’d know,” said Vos, “in fact, the only reason I can think that we haven’t found him yet is that he’s actively hiding from _us_ as well. But I don’t know why.”

“Maybe he knows something we don’t,” said Master Halsey, he rarely talked in these meetings, but this was something that has been bothering him for a while.

“Go on,” said Windu.

“Is it possible that he’s found a way to listen into the Separatists?” said Halsey, “I mean, how did he know about Skywalker’s tracking device? If he has found a way to keep tabs on them, he would be able to stay one step ahead of them.”

“Your suggesting he knows the Separatists will overwhelm us if he appears to us?”

Master Halsey nodded.

Yoda spoke up, “very weak, Master Kenobi is. If this advantage he has, difficult it will be for him to utilize. Harder and harder to think clearly, it will be.”

“So… he might be able to use this advantage to stay away from the Separatists, but not to formulate a plan to get to us…” said Vos. “I might be able to do something with that. I’ll keep you posted… Well, sort of.”

And he was gone.

The Chancellor turned to Master Halsey, “do you have any ideas for how Kenobi could have this advantage over the Separatists?”

Master Halsey shook his head, “no sir. The only thing I can think is that he’s found his base and planted some sort of recording device.”

“The Separatists could find that easily,” said Windu, “and worse, it could be traced back to him. He’d be taking a great risk.”

Halsey nodded glumly, “I’m afraid I came to the same conclusion, Master Windu.”

At that moment, his comm link beeped, showing he had a call from the guards outside.

“Everything alright, Master Halsey?” asked Luminara.

“I don’t know,” he said. He pressed the button, and his Captain’s voice came from the speaker.

“Umm, sir? We, uh, have a situation.”

“Are we being attacked?” said Halsey. He noticed the group watching him intently. If the Temple on Devaron was being attacked, what did that mean about the focus on Neimoidia?

“No sir, nothing like that… but… um… you’d better just come see for yourself.”

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

He turned off the call and looked up at the group.

“I’m afraid I have to go for a moment.”

“Sounds exciting,” said Fisto, “keep us posted.”

Halsey bowed and turned off his communicator. The holograms flickered out. He sighed, what was all the trouble? And why couldn’t Captain Snapp handle it himself? He rushed from the room towards the front entrance. Whatever it was, it had better be important.

“Master,” Padawan Knox called from behind him. He ran up and matched Halsey’s pace “Is the meeting over?”

“No, Captain Snapp seems to have a problem. I’m surprised he didn’t call you first.”

His Padawan also seemed surprised. And maybe a bit upset. The Clones had a habit of treating him like a child instead of a Commander. Halsey often reminded Knox that he _was_ a child whenever this came up. Although in this instance, his Padawan should have been contacted first.

He turned the corner to the front hall and saw two of the six guards posted at that exit standing next to what appeared to be a beggar, sitting on the bench beside them. A beggar? That was what was so important? Of course, Halsey made a point of welcoming anyone into the temple (except battle droids, of course) to get a meal, or some rest. But his troops knew the drill, and definitely didn’t need him.

“Snapp, what’s going on? What’s so important?”

“Sir—” Snapp began, but he didn’t need to go any further. At that moment, the beggar looked up at him, and Halsey stopped in his tracks.

His jaw dropped; he was speechless. _How_?

“Master?” asked Knox.

His Padawan was lost. Of course he was. He had never met Master Kenobi before.

Master Halsey rushed to his friend, kneeling in front of him, and grabbing his shoulders.

“Obi-Wan?” he said.

The Jedi Master smiled slightly, but his eyes looked dim and out of focus. He seemed to have lost half his body weight. His features were loose and faded. Master Halsey put a hand to his forehead. He was hot to the touch. The skin on his lips was dried and peeling.

“I wasn’t sure what to say,” said Snapp, “if the Separatists really are listening to comms—"

“You did everything right,” Master Halsey, “what happened?”

“He just walked right up to the front door. None of us even knew who he was until he told us.”

“Only the guards out front know?”

“Yes sir.”

“Keep it that way,” he said, “finish your rotation, then bring everyone to me. No one knows, not even the other troops. We don’t have the strength to hold off the Separatists if they learn he’s here… No one else finds out.”

Snapp nodded, “yes sir.”

Snapp and the other trooper left.

“My friend,” he said to Obi-Wan, “how—how did you get here?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, “I…” but he seemed to have trouble even stringing the words together.

Halsey decided it didn’t matter.

“Knox,” he said, “grab his other arm.”

Together, Halsey and his padawan half led, half carried Master Kenobi to Halsey’s quarters and laid him on the bed.

Halsey bit his lip for a moment, thinking.

“Go get a Med Droid,” he told Knox. “But wipe it’s memory bank first. Just in case…”

There had been rumors of Med Droids being loyal to Separatists before. He wasn’t taking _any_ chances.

Knox left immediately.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

“What do I need to do?” Halsey asked gently, “to get you to sleep?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “He’ll kill me.”

Sidious. So, it was the Dark Lord keeping Obi-Wan in his state of consciousness.

Master Halsey thought for a moment. Then he stood, going to the medical kit he kept in his room, he pulled out a few key pieces.

He connected a device to Obi-Wan’s wrist. It displayed his heartbeat.

It was slow.

Then, he moved a chair next to Obi-Wan and sat.

“I’ll watch over you,” he said, “Now that I’m next to you, it’ll be easier to protect you.”

“If he gets passed you—”

“Your heart rate will elevate. The minute it does, I will wake you. By force if necessary.”

He put his hand on Obi-Wan’s forehead. Again, he noticed how hot he was. He must have had a fever.

“Rest, my friend. You’ve done enough, you’re safe.”

That was all Obi-Wan seemed to need. He closed his eyes and was immediately asleep.

Master Halsey became shockingly aware of why Obi-Wan had kept himself awake for so long. The Dark Side of Force suddenly converged around him, like a flock of birds suddenly diving for the same prey.

Halsey focused, keeping the darkness away from Obi-Wan, creating a sort of wall around him.

But he needed to do more than that, he needed to make sure Sidious couldn’t figure out it was _him_ protecting Obi-Wan. Or else the Sith might be able to understand what was going on.

He made a point not to use his own power, instead he attempted to weave the light side of the force together, completely blocking Obi-Wan, as though he was still awake.

It would have to do.

Halsey opened his eyes, suddenly _he _felt tired. He chuckled slightly. It seemed he would be the one fighting to stay conscious soon enough.

He let himself test his power. He decided he could focus on other things without dropping Obi-Wan’s protection.

How was he here?

It was genius, despite how he managed it. He knew he would be hunted mercilessly where he was, so he left. Any other planet was safer than Neimoidia… how he managed to get off the planet without the ship he was on being searched… that was harder to understand. All ships off of Neimoidia were being searched now… He must have left Neimoidia only a few days after he got his injury.

_His injury_.

Master Halsey moved to the foot of the bed. He gently started to unlace Obi-Wan’s boots. He took off the left. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then the right.

Obi-Wan cried out in pain in his sleep. Halsey took a second to make sure it was the leg and not Sidious. It was.

Careful not to hurt him again, Halsey cut away the Jedi Master’s pant leg.

Obi-Wan had created a makeshift bandaging, from what seemed to be his tunic, cut into bandages.

It was soaked through with blood.

He decided to wait for the medic droid. He didn’t want to make anything worse. Instead, he focused on other aspects of Obi-Wan that troubled him.

There were many.

For one, he had bandaging on his head. Master Halsey unwrapped it, looking at the cut beneath it. It wasn’t too bad, it had been patched up fairly well, and cleaned thoroughly.

Master Halsey took off Obi-Wan’s jacket and looked at the injury on his arm. It was almost completely healed.

This was all good, but Halsey decided to take no chances. He took his personal medical kit, and started cleaning and patching up both wounds again, being thorough and careful. He took a wet washcloth and cleaned Obi-Wan’s face of grim and sweat, then placing a cooling pack on his forehead, to try and combat the fever.

Finally, Knox arrived with the Medic Droid.

“Sorry Master,” he said, “the memory wipe took longer than expected.”

“That’s alright.”

The droid cut away the bandages around Master Kenobi’s leg.

It was not a pretty sight.

Halsey was forced to close his eyes for a moment, turning his head from the wound in front of him. It was deep, to say the least. Almost all the skin on his calf had been scraped away, and there were some places where you could see bone. What was worse was the obvious infection. Yellow pus covered the wound, as well as red streaking that crawled up and down the entire leg. 

“He requires more serious attention than I am able to provide at this time,” said the droid, “I will stabilize him, but he must be moved to a facility equipped to handle his injuries as soon as possible.”

Halsey nodded.

“Knox,” he said, “I need you to stay with Master Obi-Wan for a few moments. If his heartrate elevates at all, do whatever you have to do to wake him. I’ll be right back.”

“Yes Master.”

Halsey walked quickly through the halls of his Temple. He didn’t want to spend too long away from Master Kenobi, but there was something he had to do.

He walked back into his meeting room, took a deep breath, composing himself, and switched his communicator back on.

“Master Halsey,” said Windu, “I’m glad you could rejoin us. Is everything alright?”

Master Halsey nodded, “perfectly fine. A group of poachers disturbed a heard of Pikhorns nearby. They, well, started to stampede. It might have been funny if it weren’t so overwhelming.”

The group chuckled slightly. Pikhorns were herbivores and perfectly harmless… unless they ran you over.

“No injuries I hope?” asked Shaak ti.

“No, but there is a complication. I’m afraid my Padawan dropped his lightsaber and one of the animals stepped on it. The crystal is fine, of course, but he needs to make another, and I’m afraid I don’t have the materials here.”

“Send him to Coruscant,” said Windu, “he can make a new one here. We’ll be ready to accept him; he can come straight to the Temple.”

“Perfect,” said Master Halsey, “thank you.”

Master Halsey should have waited longer before coming back to the meeting. They spent twenty more minutes discussing where Obi-Wan could be hiding on Neimoidia while Halsey fought the urge to tell them that they were looking on the wrong planet.

It was the longest twenty minutes of his life.

Finally, they decided to conclude the meeting. A definite depression hung in the air. None of them saw any hope for Obi-Wan.

If only they knew what he knew.

He returned to his quarters, the Medic Droid had cleaned the wound, most of the puss was gone, but it didn’t look much better without it.

“Will he keep the leg?” he asked the droid.

“Unclear,” said the droid, “we must see how quickly he heals.”

Halsey didn’t like that answer.

He dropped into the seat next to his Padawan, grabbing Obi-Wan’s hand. Now that the shock from the initial meeting was gone, he couldn’t help feeling spinning sensation. Master Kenobi was a member of the Jedi Council, the Master of Soresu, a High General in the army of the Republic. But he was so much more than that. He was stubborn, and collected, and kind. Halsey couldn’t bear to see him like this: worn to the bone, unable to trust his own mind, unable to control his own fate. At the mercy of a Sith Lord and a Medic Droid. At how fast Halsey could get him to Coruscant.

Halsey felt Knox’s hand on his shoulder.

“He’ll be alright, Master.”

Halsey smiled, looking at the boy. “I know,” he said, “we are going to make sure of it.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I wrote the first half of this chapter, went to see The Joker, then wrote the second half... Get's a tad freaky at the end. But it works so I'm not changing it. 
> 
> I blame Todd Phillips. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Obi-Wan floated in and out of consciousness, completely unable to comprehend time, or where he was, or whether or not he was actually awake or just having a very vivid dream.

During what he assumed was his first brush with consciousness, he turned his head slightly, seeing Master Halsey. But Master Halsey wasn’t looking at him, he was looking down at the foot of the bed. Obi-Wan followed his gaze. There was a medic droid, bandaging his injured leg. It was at that moment he realized how much pain he was in. He cried out slightly, only to immediately feel a hand on his shoulder.

“Rest,” said Master Halsey, “you’re safe. Rest.”

Obi-Wan slipped back into unconsciousness. When he woke again the Med droid was gone, but something else was wrong… he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Then he realized, he was _hot._ Soaked with sweat and shaking, his skin felt like fire.

He tried to move, as though hoping he was just in a sunny spot, but again, there was a hand on his shoulder. It was gentle, but solid, keeping him pinned to the cot he was on.

“It’s alright,” said Master Halsey, “you have a fever, but it will break. You have to try to sleep.”

Obi-Wan felt a cool cloth on his forehead and remembered nothing more.

That was, until he found himself in an abandoned building in Coruscant. He could feel the cold wall beneath his fingers as he wandered down the hallways. Something was bad about this place… he knew that. He was in danger, he had to get out. But he couldn’t remember the way… Something told him it wasn’t a door… but that didn’t make sense. He heard footsteps around the corner.

Maybe they knew the way out? But something told him those footsteps were bad… very bad… suddenly he was gripped with fear. _Sidious._ Those footsteps meant pain. He panicked, he needed an exit, he needed to—

But then he was being shaken roughly by the shoulders, and he was back on that cot with Master Halsey.

“Oh, thank the Force,” said the Jedi, “you’ll be alright, stay with me.”

Obi-Wan wondered briefly where else he would go… Master Halsey placed a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes in concentration.

Obi-Wan was noting that the Jedi Master looked very tired when consciousness left him once more.

The next memory was much more pleasant. Someone was holding his head up slightly, holding a glass to his lips.

“Drink,” said Master Halsey.

Obi-Wan drank obediently. It was a nutrition drink. More like a smoothie, it was smooth and cold, soothing Obi-Wan’s dry mouth and throat. He gulped it greedily and fell unconscious the minute it was gone.

What came next was a haze of dreams of a ship full of diamonds, that was being flown by a small Twi’leki girl… Then it landed at a building in Coruscant, which appeared to be abandoned. How odd. Buildings in Coruscant were not usually abandoned. Maybe something was wrong with it? Obi-Wan panicked, what if the breakout of Raxinian flu had spread to this building? He didn’t want to get sick. But before he could investigate, he was being shaken again, and found himself back in a ship. But this ship wasn’t filled with diamonds. Instead it had a Jedi. And a Clone Trooper was flying it… Interesting.

“Hold on,” said the Jedi, “we’re almost there.”

Obi-Wan wondered, briefly, where they were going. He hovered between awareness and unconsciousness, as though trying to find out.

He felt slightly jostled, then he heard voices. Someone was grabbing his shoulder, someone else was shouting something, like orders. He heard hushed voices. Then there was a bright light in his eyes. He blinked; he didn’t like it. Another order. Then there was a sharp pinch on the side of his neck… the pinch was familiar, like a hypo-syringe.

His head lulled to one side as the drugs took effect and he remembered no more.

…

The next time Obi-Wan woke up, he woke up for good. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was. He realized he was staring directly into a ceiling light. That would explain it.

Obi-Wan blinked and propped himself up slightly, looking at the foot of the bed he was lying in.

He was in the Jedi Temple’s Medical Bay.

Immediately, his entire body seemed to un-knot with relief. He was _home_. For the first time since Cato Neimoidia he was _safe. _He had done it. He had survived. He could have cried tears of relief.

And the relief only multiplied as Obi-Wan noticed who was sitting beside him. Yoda and Windu were watching over him.

The two Jedi masters were speaking in hushed tones, and appeared so deep in conversation, they had not noticed Obi-Wan’s movements.

“Doctor Nema says he shouldn’t go back into the Bacta tank unless the infection spreads again,” said Windu, “but I’m afraid if he doesn’t wake up soon, he’ll fall into another coma. He’ll be easy pray for Sidious like that.”

“You shouldn’t worry,” Obi-Wan interjected, moving into a sitting position, “I seem to be doing just fine.”

The two Jedi jumped, turning to look at him. Their startled expressions immediately turned to those of relief.

“Obi-Wan,” Mace rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling, “it’s good to hear your voice.”

“I fell into a coma?”

“Severely ill, you were. But recovering, you are.”

“How long has it been since Devaron?”

“You arrived at the temple there almost a weeks ago. You stayed at the Temple of Eedit for about 36 hours before you were safe to move. You’re wound was infected and you had a bad fever. It was touch and go whether you would keep the leg.”

“Goodness, I still have it, yes?”

“In one piece, you remain.”

“_How_ did you get all the way to Devaron?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, his friends must have been very confused at Obi-Wan’s sudden appearance at Master Halsey’s temple.

“I traded work for transportation with a group leaving the planet. They were technically headed to Separatist space first, so the droids didn’t bother searching the ship.”

“You went into _Separatist space_?”

Obi-Wan nodded, “I was on Raxus for an entire day. But I knew they wouldn’t be looking for me there.”

Yoda smiled, as though proud of him. Obi-Wan took it like a compliment. He felt _good_, for the first time in a long time. But something was still nagging at him.

“Master Plo Koon,” he said, “and Vos.”

“What about them?”

“Are they alright? I heard a rumor on Raxus that a Jedi had been killed by Grievous. I feared the worst.”

Yoda chuckled, “the only Jedi in danger on Neimoidia, _you_ were. Slight oxygen poisoning, Master Plo Koon received, but back to full health, he has been for some time.”

It was though a final burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He slumped backwards against his pillows, relieved and smiling.

Mace’s communicator beeped twice. He looked at the message.

“We’re late for a meeting with the Chancellor,” he said, “should I tell him you’re occupied?”

“Mmm,” Yoda nodded, “much to discuss, Master Obi-Wan and I have. An explanation, I owe.”

“I _am_ curious on what’s going on. Why is Sidious after me? The public seems to think I’ve got some sort of intel on the Separatists, but I couldn’t be more clueless.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” said Mace.

Once the Jedi Master had left, Yoda turned to him.

“Move, can you?”

Obi-Wan shifted his injured leg. It hurt slightly, but he was sure he could manage. It was nothing compared to what he had walked on the last month.

“Probably a short distance,” he said, “where are we going?”

“Into the hall, I would like to go. Much to discuss, we have. To wake young Skywalker, a tragedy, it would be.”

_Young Skywalker? _Obi-Wan looked to his left, noticing his old friend for the first time. The boy was slumped against the wall, fast asleep. How long had he been there? How long since he had slept in a bed?

“I agree,” he said softly.

Obi-Wan hopped slightly with each step, but he didn’t move much slower than Yoda would have anyway. They silently exited the Med Bay and entered the hall.

Two Temple Guards were stationed outside the door.

“Not far, we are going,” Yoda told them, “stay here, you can.”

The guards stayed where they were.

Yoda led Obi-Wan half-way down the hall and sat on a small bench. He gestured for Obi-Wan to join him.

“Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan began, “why the guards? Do you really think Sidious could reach me here?”

“Can, I do not know. But try, he will.”

“_Why_? Why me? Why now?”

With that, Yoda told him everything. He discussed his vision in much greater detail than he had to the council. He told him about Sidious’s determination, what was at stake, and how fragile the light was at that moment.

Once he was done, Obi-Wan remained silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was soft, hesitant even.

“Master, are you sure this boy you saw wasn’t Anakin? Could this vision be of the past?”

“Of the past, it is not. But of young Skywalker, it could be.”

“I don’t understand,” Obi-Wan said, “how could it be about Anakin _and_ be the future? Anakin is no longer my Padawan.”

“Your student, he is not. But learn from you, he does still. Skywalker or no, important to this boy, you will be. And important to the light, this boy is.”

“So what now?” asked Obi-Wan, “I can’t hide in this temple forever.”

Yoda nodded. “This future, certain, we must make it. Learn a difficult power, you must.”

“I’m sorry, Master, I don’t understand. You’re saying I have to go through training to make sure this vision comes true?”

Yoda nodded again. “When this power, you possess, futile, Sidious’s attempts will be. Stop them, he will. And free to leave this temple, you will be again.”

“What is this power?”

Yoda shook his head. “Heal first, you must. Then learn, you will.”

Obi-Wan didn’t object, though he wanted to. Luckily, Anakin came bursting through the doors of the Med Bay at exactly that moment and caused a distraction.

Anakin looked fairly disgruntled at seeing Yoda and Obi-Wan sitting down the long hallway. Yoda chuckled at Obi-Wan’s side.

“Much need for you, young Skywalker still has.”

Yoda stood, bid Obi-Wan farewell, and made his way towards the rest of the Temple.

“Master?”

Anakin stood a few steps away, looking at Obi-Wan. He was pale, was he getting sick?

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked.

“You looked like you needed rest.”

“And you don’t?”

“Apparently, I’ve slept a whole week. It seems I’ve had my fair share of rest.”

Anakin offered Obi-Wan his hand, and Obi-Wan took it. But instead of giving him support back to the Med Bay, Anakin pulled Obi-Wan in and hugged him.

It startled him slightly, but then he simply patted Anakin on the back. He understood. He had missed Anakin, but at least he had known the boy was alright. It must have been a tough few months for his friend.

Anakin helped Obi-Wan back to the Medical Bay and into bed, being very careful of his injured leg. Then, he sat down in his chair as Obi-Wan rearranged the pillows to prop himself into a sitting position.

Obi-Wan looked at his friend, he was rummaging in his pocket. Obi-Wan watched as Anakin retrieved a familiar object and offered it to him.

His lightsaber.

Obi-Wan smiled, taking it, “I thought I had lost it for good.”

“Vos and I found it at the fight scene.”

Obi-Wan smiled again, looking from his weapon to his friend. Anakin didn’t return his smile. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Anakin raised a brow. “What’s wrong.” he repeated, “are you really asking me that?”

“I’m alright, Anakin,” said Obi-Wan, “I’m back and I’m safe.”

“I—” Anakin tilted his head down and closed his eyes. Like he did when he was ashamed. “I’m sorry.”

“_You’re sorry_? Anakin, _what_ are you apologizing for?”

“For making you have to find a way off that planet by yourself. For almost getting you killed with Dooku’s tracking device, for the fact that the Senate didn’t care enough to even try to help you, and the _Counsel_ only seemed to care about this stupid prophesy and not your life—”

“Anakin! Stop. Stop.”

Anakin deflated, clearly embarrassed at his outburst. But how long had this been troubling him?

“_None_ of this is your fault. You couldn’t possibly be responsible for getting that tracker pegged on you. This is very much a Jedi matter and it’s hard for the Senate to understand what’s going on. And the Counsel…” Obi-Wan paused, “Jedi show their emotions in strange ways. I know they care deeply, and whatever they needed to focus on to not completely succumb to those emotions is their choice.”

Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “This isn’t your fault. This isn’t the Senate’s fault, it’s not the Counsel’s fault… we can’t blame anyone for this.”

Anakin was silent for a moment.

“We could probably blame Dooku,” he muttered.

Obi-Wan smiled. “Yes. I’m sure we could… if we wanted to.”

…

Obi-Wan remained confined to his hospital bed for weeks as his leg healed and his fever broke. Anakin stayed by his side the entire time. It was reminiscent of Anakin’s first months on Coruscant, when he developed head colds on the new climate and his body rebelled against the physical demand of training. Only now, it was Anakin that made sure Obi-Wan ate all his food, and drank his nutrition drinks, and got plenty of sleep.

It was a good thing Anakin was there to make him.

Obi-Wan was far sicker than any normal fever could make him. Sidious was still poisoning his mind. Any food made him nauseous. All Obi-Wan wanted to do was move around, but when he stood for any long period of time the world spun around him.

His nightmares continued.

At first, they didn’t think Sidious would try to enter Obi-Wan’s dreams now that he was safe in the Temple.

They were wrong. They were very wrong. Sidious’s grip had become so strong Anakin was forced to give him a shot of adrenaline to wake him.

That kept him awake for a long time.

After the effects had worn off, they decided to take no more chances. Yoda sat beside him whenever he slept. He never had any trouble after that, but he could see the sudden shift in anxiety levels, no matter how hard his friends tried to hide it from him. Windu would often come into the Med Bay after council meetings and pull Anakin aside, whispering to him in hushed tones.

As if to try and ensure Obi-Wan wouldn’t overhear what they were saying, Mace always brought someone who hadn’t visited his bedside yet, and Obi-Wan would be pushed into a conversation with them, instead of paying attention to Mace and Anakin.

Obi-Wan couldn’t understand what was so terrible they felt they needed to protect him from it. Sure, the hold Sidious had on his was terrifying, but Master Yoda seemed to be able to clear Sidious from his head every night. It couldn’t be that bad… Obi-Wan decided to let it slide for now. After so long fighting on his own, keeping secrets, being on the run, it felt good knowing there were people looking out for him.

Plus, he enjoyed the visitors.

The first day, Mace brought Master Halsey with him.

“How are you feeling?” said the Jedi Master, sitting on the edge of Obi-Wan’s bed.

“Good,” he said, “thanks to you. I can’t even begin to thank you for what you did.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s what any of us would have done. It’s what you would have done.”

Still, Obi-Wan thanked him every chance he got. He had hit an all new low on the journey from the ship to the Temple. By the time he got there… he was surprised he had the stamina to explain to the Troopers outside who he was, much less be any help to Master Halsey.

The next day, Mace brought along Master Plo Koon. Seeing the Jedi Master alive and well lifted Obi-Wan’s spirits, despite Yoda’s reassurance that he had fully recovered.

Master Plo seemed to find it very funny that Obi-Wan spent his time on the run worried about _him._ Obi-Wan let himself see the irony, as well.

Today it was Vos who accompanied Master Windu.

“How ya’ doin’ Kenobi?” he said.

“Much better,” Obi-Wan answered. Despite not always getting along with the Jedi Master, it was good to see that he was also healthy and safe.

Obi-Wan glance to the other end of the Med Bay where Mace and Anakin stood.

“It’s as though they think I don’t know what they’re doing,” he remarked.

Quinlan shrugged, “well, maybe they just assume you don’t care.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know what they’re talking about?”

“Yep.”

“You wouldn’t happen to want to share?”

“And risk Skywalker’s wrath? No way.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, glancing at the two Jedi. “I’ll just have to find out when they decide to tell me then.” He turned back to Vos. “I’m sorry I made you search the wrong planet for all those weeks. I just couldn’t think of a way of letting you know.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, I’m glad it all worked out.” Quinlan paused, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “Listen, Kenobi, I’m sorry. About the leg, I mean. You warned me using the main road would be a bad idea… I didn’t listen. Maybe if I had we could have gotten you off that planet quicker.”

Obi-Wan laughed again.

“What’s funny?”

“Why do you and Anakin insist that my suffering is your fault? If we hadn’t taken the main road, we would have been overrun by battle droids. We didn’t make it off that planet because there was no way off that planet. Not on a Republic vessel, anyway.”

Vos smirked, “I guess that’s true,” he said, “you’re alright, Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he was referring to his health or his personality. He took it as a compliment either way.

When Vos left, he asked Anakin what he and Mace had been talking about.

“Nothing to worry about just yet,” he said, “we’re looking into something.”

Vague. Wonderful. Obi-Wan dropped the conversation for now.

Of course, these distractions were not the only visitors he had. Within the first week, almost every Jedi in the Temple visited him. They all seemed overjoyed at the very sight of him. How bad had the situation been from their point of view? No sign of him, knowing he was injured, thinking he was hiding on a planet full of battle droids… it must have been a very depressing picture.

But his visitors were not just Jedi. After a week of recovery, the Temple let a few certain people come in and see him.

It was good to see Padmé. She came in with the Chancellor. They talked for a few minutes, mostly pleasantries. But she had to leave quickly for a meeting. Anakin walked her out.

That’s when Obi-Wan found himself it the most uncomfortable position of being alone with the Chancellor.

Obi-Wan couldn’t lie, he had never liked the man. Something about him was troubling. He assumed it was because he was a politician, Obi-Wan didn’t have much trust for politicians. Of course, so was Padmé. So was Bail Organa. So was Satine, when she was alive. So that might not be it.

There was also the whole experience between him and Anakin. When Anakin first came to Coruscant to be trained, when he was only nine years old, the Chancellor took an unnerving interest in the young boy. And Obi-Wan, who quickly became protective of his Padawan, had always been uncomfortable with it. The Chancellor had seemed enthralled by him, almost to the point of, Obi-Wan couldn’t help making the connection, pedophilia. Even though it was an overstatement, he was sure, he couldn’t help but be put off by the man, especially since Anakin and him only seemed to grow closer as Anakin grew up.

“Master Obi-Wan,” said the Chancellor with a smile, “it’s good to see you back and safe.”

And there was that smile… the smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The Chancellor always had looked at Obi-Wan that way, as though feigning politeness. Especially when Obi-Wan used to go out of his way to find excuses to separate him and Anakin. But now it seemed… worse? As though the Chancellor was holding back not just rudeness, but anger.

“It’s good to be back,” Obi-Wan said politely, “Anakin told me about your determination to keep the Senate from removing the troops from Neimoidia. Thank you so much for your help.”

“Well, I can’t say it did much, considering you were already gone by that point.”

“All the same, it was a kind thing to do.”

There was that smile again. The Chancellors dead eyes bore into him. Obi-Wan suddenly felt dizzy. But of course, sitting alone in a room with someone you were forced to be polite to often did that to people.

“Oh, and by the way. We figured out what was wrong with the comm system. It turns out there was a protocol droid in my office during that first transmission that had been reprogrammed by the Separatists. They had been using it to spy on me. But not to worry, I’ve had it scrapped.”

Obi-Wan wished the Chancellor would sit. Or just stop looking at him like that. He tilted his head down, trying not to pay attention. His head throbbed. He massaged his temple.

“That’s good,” he said, “I’m glad we know.”

Obi-Wan was having trouble thinking clearly… something seemed wrong… something he couldn’t pin on just being uncomfortable… He yawned. At first, he thought he had done it to try to guilt the Chancellor into leaving… but halfway through it became real. His vision swam. He was extremely tired.

“Oh,” said the Chancellor kindly, “Master Jedi, you should rest. I’m sorry for taking up so much time.”

The Chancellor’s hand was oddly firm as he made Obi-Wan lie backwards slightly onto his pillows. Obi-Wan tried to object. The Chancellor didn’t understand, he couldn’t sleep without Master Yoda present. Or at least another Jedi. He’d be putting himself in danger. Sidious would surely attack again. In fact, there was a strange voice nagging at him in the back of his brain that told him Sidious had an even greater advantage at that moment, but he couldn’t lay a finger on why…

He was simply too weak to object. The Chancellor’s grip made him very uncomfortable. His smile was disorienting. Obi-Wan seemed to have no choice but let the man push him into a position he could sleep in.

Then there was a knock on the door, and Obi-Wan’s mind cleared slightly. He sat up straight again, looking at who was there.

_Cody_. Obi-Wan could have wept tears of joy. He wasn’t sure what, but something told him it was very good that Cody had appeared when he did.

Cody, however, seemed suddenly stiff.

“I’m sorry, sirs,” he said, eyes widening at the sight of the Chancellor, “I can come back—”

Obi-Wan shook his head violently behind the Chancellor. Cody looked at him, to the Chancellor, and back again.

“—but,” he continued, “there is something rather urgent I have to discuss with the General. But I’m sure this is more important.”

“No,” said the Chancellor. Though he sounded… annoyed? “Not important. I should be going anyway.”

The Chancellor stood, bid Obi-Wan farewell, and left. Cody stood at attention until he left the room.

“Cody?” said Obi-Wan.

“Yes sir?”

“As always, your timing is impeccable.”

Cody smiled for a moment, but it vanished almost immediately.

“How are you feeling, sir?”

“Much better,” he said, “thanks to you.”

“Me, sir?”

“You saved my life… I think the running total is three times, directly, although who knows how many other instances there were.”

Obi-Wan’s head had cleared, he felt awake again. He sat up and gestured to the chair next to the bed.

Cody sat, but he was still frowning.

“What’s troubling you?” Obi-Wan asked him.

“Nothing, sir. I guess I just came by to say I’m—”

“—If you say you’re sorry,” Obi-Wan interrupted, “I’m gonna throw up.”

Cody fell silent.

“What is with people and apologizing to me? This is _not_ you’re fault. It’s not Anakin’s fault, it’s not Vos’s fault, it’s not the Senate or the Council’s fault, it’s not _anyone’s_ fault.”

Obi-Wan put a hand on his Commander’s shoulder, “you and the 212th saved my life back there. Not to mention you never gave up looking for me afterwards. I look forward to getting better and back into the field with you.”

“So you will be coming back?” asked Cody, “there was a rumor…”

“I’ll be back,” Obi-Wan assured. He looked down at his leg. It was almost healed… but something told him the leg wasn’t the biggest problem. “I’m not sure when…but I’ll be back soon.”

The more time went on, however, the more Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if that was true. Even when his fever broke and his leg could take his weight, his friends and the Jedi Council continued to keep him confined to the Med Bay. They still brought Anakin aside and spoke with him in hushed tones. Obi-Wan was starting to get annoyed. He wanted to start training with Yoda, but that seemed out of the question, and he wasn’t sure why.

After almost another full week of recovery, Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of his own reflection. One of the doctors left a tray leaning against the wall on his bedside table. He hadn’t seen his reflection since before Cato Neimoidia.

He was startled to discover that, even though he was no longer in any pain, or had any fever, he did not _look_ better. Even though he was eating, he seemed thin, starved even. His skin was waxy, and his hair seemed to be thinning.

He looked like he was dying.

Someone was moving the tray. He looked up to see Anakin and Mace. Mace must have come to talk to Anakin again. Obi-Wan now knew what about.

He looked down at his own hands. He didn’t even notice until that moment that they were constantly shaking. His fingernails were turning slightly yellow. He must have been severely sick… How had he not realized?

Anakin and Mace just stared at him.

“I—” he said, “I didn’t know.”

Mace sat next to him. “Have you been having dreams?” he said.

“No.” It was the truth. He had slept peacefully ever since Yoda had started watching over him. “Why?”

Mace and Anakin exchanged looks.

“You’ve been… talking.”

“Talking?”

“Well, not _you_.”

Obi-Wan’s stomach flipped. Sidious has been using _his voice_ to communicate with Yoda?

“What has he been saying?”

“It’s… not worth repeating.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He couldn’t even feel the Sith Lord. Was he so far-gone that he couldn’t tell what in his mind was him and what was Sidious?

“How—” his voice gave out. He swallowed and tried again. “I can’t feel him. How strong of a hold does he have?”

His friends looked sad.

“We’re going to get the council together. Now that your fever has passed, and your leg is close to healed we can deal with this.”

They were waiting for him to get as close to full health as possible.

“It’s that bad? Were you afraid I’d die if I wasn’t at full health?”

Anakin put a hand on his shoulder, but he said nothing.

“We weren’t going to take any chances,” said Mace.

The council got together the very next day. Obi-Wan felt oddly nostalgic, standing in the Council room. Nostalgic? Why should he fell nostalgia? As though being part of the Council was something of a distant memory.

They offered him his chair. It felt unfamiliar.

Anakin stood off to the side slightly, being Obi-Wan’s watchful shadow as always.

Yoda explained the situation. “A powerful hold, Darth Sidious has on Master Obi-Wan’s mind. Break his grip, we must. All of your help, I will need.”

“Don’t be fooled,” said Mace, “Just because we have the numbers doesn’t mean this will be easy. Sidious will fight back.”

_And the battle ground will be my head_ Obi-Wan thought.

“Attempt to fight us in many ways, Sidious will. Try to distract us, he will. Speak to us, he will, through Obi-Wan. But distracted, we cannot be.”

Obi-Wan looked down. He felt embarrassed. Every time he thought of Sidious using his voice to… what? Threaten his friends? Threaten them how? With him? That he would hurt him? He shuddered, perhaps it was best that he didn’t know.

There was silence after that. Obi-Wan could feel the eyes of each Council member flick to him quickly, and then look away. But no one seemed surprised. Of course not. They had probably had hundreds of meetings about this very topic.

Yoda gave the Council a few more instructions, which Obi-Wan mostly ignored. This was not for him; he was not really a member of this meeting.

He was the subject of this meeting.

Finally, Yoda gestured for them to begin. Obi-Wan knelt in the middle of the room, his friends gathered around him. Anakin knelt beside him, putting a hand on one shoulder, Mace put a hand on the other. Obi-Wan did nothing, he simply waited for it to begin.

After a few long seconds of silence, his forehead seemed to split from pain. He cried out, grabbing his head and falling forwards. But Anakin and Mace held him in place.

Obi-Wan’s vision blurred. He couldn’t see. The pain was so intense. It was like taking out a deep splinter, digging in deeper in order to extract the actual problem.

After a few moments, Obi-Wan’s screams turned to laughter. _Laughter_? He tried to stop, but he couldn’t. This laughter wasn’t his.

“You’re all fools,” Obi-Wan heard himself say. “He’s not strong enough to survive this. You are simply helping me destroy him.”

His friends did not respond, their attack did not waver.

Obi-Wan laughed again. He couldn’t stop himself. He screwed his eyes shut, wishing he could cover his ears.

“All those weeks it was just me and him. You did _nothing_ to protect him. I know him better than he knows himself.”

His friends did not react.

“All those times I tortured him, do you know what he did? He _ran._ And when I caught him _he begged._ The great Jedi Master. A member of your cherished Council. _Begging for mercy_ at my feet.”

Obi-Wan felt a flicker of anger rise from his group. Which meant Sidious felt it too.

More laughter. The laughter was the worst part. Obi-Wan doubled over with it. It hurt him. Sidious wouldn’t stop to let him breathe.

“And when he got his head injury—” more laughter, “he couldn’t even do that. He was so _weak_,” Obi-Wan spat, “he couldn’t even stand. All he did was kneel at my feet. Like a _SLAVE_ ready for his beating.”

His friends stumbled. Obi-Wan could tell the image haunted them. They should never have had to know that.

Obi-Wan was laughing again. It disgusted him. He would _not_ be used like this. Like he was Sidious’s plaything. He had fought Sidious for weeks, he could do it once more.

It took all his willpower, but he managed to swallow the laughter.

It’s as though he choked on it. He coughed and gasped for air, falling forward. Anakin and Mace held him steady again.

“Obi-Wan?!” Anakin said.

“Keep going,” Obi-Wan choked. He took in a stuttering breath of air. “I’ve got him.”

It’s as though the group tripled in strength. Obi-Wan screamed as Sidious was ripped from his head.

But then… everything was better. It was as though someone had been holding a pillow over Obi-Wan’s face, and suddenly he could breathe again. As though his hands and feet had been strongly bound, and someone had just cut him free.

He slumped backwards. Anakin and Mace caught him, laying him on the ground.

“Obi-Wan!”

Anakin was worried he was hurt. He didn’t realize that Obi-Wan had crumbled out of relief.

He held up his hand, resting it on his friend’s shoulder.

“I’m alright,” he said. He smiled; he couldn’t begin to describe how grateful he was. “He’s gone. I’m alright.”


	16. Chapter 16

The experience in the Council room seemed to have scared the living shit out of all his friends. Again, Obi-Wan was confined to a hospital bed as they tested him for anything that might be wrong.

He let them. But he knew they wouldn’t find anything. For the first time in weeks, he felt completely at ease. And because of that he noticed just how stressed everyone else was.

Anakin clearly hadn’t slept in days. He sat at Obi-Wan’s bedside, as though waiting for him to collapse and start foaming at the mouth. Obi-Wan sent him to bed, the boy was making him anxious. He argued… but he was clearly too tired to really object. The other Jedi were showing stress in different ways. Obi-Wan noticed Mace always seemed to be on the move. He gave the illusion of being everywhere at once. Sometimes, one of his friends would simply pop their head in and then leave, as though just making sure he was still alive.

The only person, besides Obi-Wan, who seemed at all calm was Yoda. He sat with Obi-Wan often, and they talked about nothing in particular. Much like they used to before the war. He didn’t need to watch over Obi-Wan as he slept anymore. Sidious was gone, and Obi-Wan had enough strength to keep it that way.

Now that he was back to full sanity, he was anxious to rejoin the war effort. Of course, he would need to go through Master Yoda’s training first. But Master Yoda was insistent on Obi-Wan being in full physical health as well mental health.

So Obi-Wan started physical therapy. Eventually, he started sparring with Anakin, like they always did before Cato Neimoidia.

Yoda may have had a point. Obi-Wan came to this realization as Anakin decked him for the fifth time in one session.

“Alright,” said Obi-Wan, “I think I’m done.”

“You did better this time.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, standing up. It was a lie. He was still terrible. His leg seemed to have forgotten how to move properly. Sure, Anakin wasn’t holding back any, but he was still doing much poorer than he should have.

“I’ll get the hang of it,” he said, “I just need more time.”

Even though the sparing matches were annoying Obi-Wan, everyone else seemed to calm slightly after Anakin told them he could at least defend himself against mild attacks. He guessed they saw it as proof of recovery.

He was finally allowed out of the Med Bay entirely. He still did not attend Council meetings, but honestly, until he was no longer the main topic of conversation, he decided it wasn’t the worst thing. He did, however, go to each member of the Council and thanked them personally. They all assured him it was unnecessary, but he did it anyway, if for no other reason than he wanted them all to see him as himself, and not Sidious’s puppet.

Without Council meetings, and without missions for the war effort, his days were fairly drag. He sparred with Anakin, but other than that, he was left with nothing to do.

Of course, he was never alone. Jedi Masters seemed to materialize wherever he went. Obi-Wan hadn’t even noticed until Anakin went on a two-day mission. He found himself, still, never alone. As though he were in need of constant surveillance and protection.

He would have been fine with it, except that they never really spoke to him beyond the usual pleasantries. They would ask him how he was feeling, he’d say fine, and then… a bunch of nothing. And they all refused to let on that they were his guard. It was rather annoying, as though they assumed he didn’t know what was going on.

In fact, the healthier he became, the more ridiculous he saw his guard to be. It was as though they all thought he would attempt to ditch them the moment they turned their backs. When Anakin went on a two-day mission for the war, Obi-Wan’s protection became even more obvious.

Obi-Wan noticed the guard rotation was very similar to one they would use for a convicted criminal. Or at least someone they didn’t trust. Always being by his side was one thing. But they always seemed to stay between him and the exit… They didn’t do anything that would require too much attention. It was as though they expected Obi-Wan to attempt to slip away and jump off the side of a building.

Of course, there were dangers.

On the second day of Anakin’s mission, Sidious launched the first attempt of ‘Plan B’. Obi-Wan was sitting in the Temple courtyard, reading, and mostly just trying to pass the time.

It felt good to be outside.

There was a group of Younglings practicing lightsaber techniques. Master Tera Sinube was leading them. Otherwise the courtyard was deserted.

“Mind if I join you?” It was Vos.

Obi-Wan gestured to the bench beside him. “How long have you been back? I thought you went to…”

“—Kashyyyk,” Vos answered, sitting, “and yeah, but things have been pretty quiet on the war front recently. I just got back a few hours ago.”

“And they already have you on babysitting duty?”

Vos laughed. “You know more than you let on, Kenobi.”

“I wish people would stop trying to hide everything from me.”

“Yeah… Well everybody’s a little on edge. I, uh, heard about the whole Sidious thing. In the Council Room. That must have been rough.”

Obi-Wan grimaced. He didn’t like the idea of that story getting around. He didn’t want to be remembered at Sidious’s puppet.

“Rougher for them than for me, it seems,” he said.

If the remark confused him, Vos didn’t let on. If there was one thing about Vos that Obi-Wan liked, he wasn’t fake. They both knew Vos was only there for protection, so they were both content with just sitting in silence.

Obi-Wan watched the group of Younglings. They were doing fairly well. Obi-Wan found himself become interested in the young Tholothian girl… Katooni. She looked a lot like Marian. Obi-Wan wondered how his friends were getting along. Had they sold all the jewelry yet? Had Arnie and Duke paid off their debt? What were Marian and Rol’s plans with the Credits? He had never asked…

The Tholothian girl stopped doing the exercises. Obi-Wan became embarrassed. Had she noticed he was looking? He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. But the girl wasn’t looking at him. She was looking around the courtyard. She must have felt something through the Force the others had not.

Obi-Wan focused, trying to figure out what she felt.

There it was… what was that? It was a disturbance, that was sure. Almost as though… Obi-Wan and Katooni locked eyes. They both came to the realization at the same time.

Obi-Wan grabbed Vos and threw him forward, lunging after him.

Not a moment too soon, once they cleared the bench, it exploded.

Obi-Wan, Vos, and the class of Younglings all dove for cover underneath the large tree in the center. The branches would, at least slightly, hinder the sniper… wherever they were.

“Are you alright?” Vos asked him.

Obi-Wan nodded, drawing his lightsaber. Vos drew his, as did the Younglings and Master Sinube. But the Younglings were not going to fight this battle. After everyone who had risked their lives to protect him throughout the last few months, Obi-Wan drew the line at Younglings.

Another shot came hurtling towards him. He blocked it, but it showed them where the shooter was.

“There!” said one of the Younglings. A human boy, Petro. He pointed to the top of a Temple wall, where you could just barely see, getting up and retreating—

“Bane!” Vos spat. “I was wondering when he’d show his ugly face. Stay here,” he told Obi-Wan, “I’ll take care of him.”

Obi-Wan grabbed Vos’s arm before he could run off. “It’s a trap, and you know it. Bane is expecting you to pursue him.”

“He’s right,” said Master Sinube, “Bane will not get far into the Temple, we must get Master Obi-Wan to safety.”

Obi-Wan was _so incredibly tired_ of being protected. _So_ tired. Master Sinube and Vos flanked either side of him, keeping their weapons raised. They got about halfway the doorway into the Temple when the second attack hit.

They had been right; Cad Bane had been hoping Obi-Wan’s guard would pursue him. The second wave had emerged to finish Obi-Wan off. 

IG-88 and Aurra Sing dropped into the courtyard.

Vos and Master Sinube immediately leapt into action. They each attacked a bounty hunter. Obi-Wan and the Younglings continued towards the Temple, but just before they reached the hall, they were intercepted yet again.

Bane had circled back around.

The Younglings raised their weapons, ready to fight.

Nope nope nopity nope. That was _not_ happening. Obi-Wan pushed his way in front of them, facing Bane.

Bane snarled, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Kenobi. You’re gonna make me rich.”

His leg was going to be a serious problem. Bane was no amateur. Obi-Wan had fought him hand to hand plenty of times while at full strength and lost. He was not at full strength.

Bane shot first. He fired five times. Obi-Wan blocked them all. That’s when things got interesting. Bane used his rocket boots and flew above Obi-Wan, shooting continuously. He then sent cables shooting from each arm, trying to ensnare him.

Obi-Wan dodged the first, but the second hit his hand, making him loose his grip on his lightsaber. Thankfully, the Younglings didn’t do anything stupid. The group scattered as Obi-Wan lunged to the side, dodging Bane’s shots while also untangling his hand from the cable. If He could just draw Bane in a little closer… He couldn’t necessarily win the fight, but that didn’t mean he had to lose it.

Obi-Wan assumed the Younglings had gone to get help. He was wrong. Petro appeared in front of him, thinking Obi-Wan was in trouble. He blocked one of Bane’s shots, but he wasn’t prepared for what Bane had up his sleeve.

Obi-Wan leapt forward, tackling the child as Bane sent a wave of fire at the two of them.

They avoided it. But Obi-Wan’s robe caught ablaze. He shook it off and threw it to the side. So much for Obi-Wan’s plans… Bane was now flying far out of reach… Okay, plan B. Obi-Wan reached his hand out for his lightsaber, but Bane was one step ahead of him.

He extinguished he rocket boots, falling to the ground and kicking Obi-Wan’s lightsaber farther away. Obi-Wan lost his concentration on the item. Bane then shot into the air once again, pointed his blaster at Obi-Wan and Petro.

But he came too close. Standing in front of the boy, Obi-Wan took the cable that was still slightly entangled around his wrist and whipped it out at the Bounty hunter. He knocked the gun out of his hand. Then he whipped it again, taking out one of his rocket boots. Bane went spiraling towards the ground.

Obi-Wan lost track of where his lightsaber was. Again. He was such a hypocrite. He didn’t take time looking for it. Instead, he leapt at Bane, throwing a punch.

Bane blocked it. Stupid decision. With his leg, he couldn’t fight Bane hand to hand. And Bane still had plenty of weapons. He reached for his second blaster, on his hip. Obi-Wan grabbed his arm, pushing him backwards. He fell to the ground but managed to take out the weapon.

“Master Kenobi!” someone shouted.

Katooni.

She was throwing something at him. Her lightsaber. Obi-Wan caught it, deflecting the blasts. But Bane had figured out all of Obi-Wan’s weaknesses. 

He shot another cable. Not at his arms, but at his injured leg.

Obi-Wan just couldn’t move it fast enough. The cable wrapped around the leg, sending spikes of pain coursing up and down it. The end of the cord whipped around, snaring his other leg, and he fell to the ground hard, completely immobile. He still might have been able to recover, though. One arm was pinned down beneath him, but he still had his weapon drawn with the other, ready to deflect any shots that came his way.

But Bane did not turn his weapon on him, he turned it on Katooni, who was now weaponless.

“Your move, Kenobi,” he sneered.

Nope nope _no._ Obi-Wan dropped his only defense, moving his free arm to use the Force and push the girl out of harm’s way faster than she could have moved by herself.

As quick as a shot, Bane’s focus was back on Obi-Wan, who just couldn’t raise his guard fast enough. Obi-Wan stared down the barrel of Bane’s blaster. It must have only been a fraction of a second, but it felt like ages. Obi-Wan could see the beginning of a victorious smile in Bane’s eyes.

But something interrupted Bane’s victory.

A Temple Guard. About time.

Obi-Wan cut himself free and rolled to the side, out of Bane’s line of fire. The Guard swung at the bounty hunter with his lightsaber, forcing him to retreat slightly backwards. Obi-Wan was out of harm’s way, at least for now.

He took a few seconds to look around. Two guards had come running into the courtyard. Sing was already being detained by a Guard and Master Sinube. But IG-88 was still in play, firing rapidly at Vos, and Bane was nowhere near defeat. He snarled, shooting fire at the temple Guard and doing anything in his power to get back to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for him. He stood, raising Katooni’s lightsaber, but just as he did so, the fight was won. At that moment Windu and Mundi came bursting into the courtyard, and Bane and IG-88 retreated to the edge, trying not to get cut down immediately.

Smart of them.

Obi-Wan did a quick scan of the courtyard. He made his lightsaber fly to his hand. Then he grabbed Petro’s arm, who seemed to think he was still in this fight, as though he ever had been, and ran into the Temple.

The first thing he did was make sure he hadn’t hurt Katooni. She smiled at him. She actually smiled, as though this was a gratifying victory.

He handed her back her lightsaber. “Thank you for letting me borrow this,” he said.

She smiled again.

“Obi-Wan!”

Obi-Wan turned to see Windu running towards him.

“Are you hurt?”

Obi-Wan shook his head.

“Come on,” he said, “you two as well.”

Katooni and Petro followed Windu and Obi-Wan through the halls of the temple.

“Where are we going?” Obi-Wan asked.

“This way. I don’t want Bane to get any ideas.”

He didn’t take his hand off of Obi-Wan’s shoulder until they were deep in the building. They went into the achieves, one of the most protected parts of the Temple. When they got there, Windu sat Obi-Wan down in a chair and immediately turned towards the exit, as though ready for a hundred battle droids to come bursting through it.

Nothing happened. Not a surprise.

“Mace,” he said, “that was it. They had been hoping to get me with the first shot. Then they had a few backup plans, just in case. But I don’t see this being a big operation.”

“You’re probably right.”

That, of course, didn’t decrease the stress level in the room at all. Mace turned back to the door, as if sure someone was about to break in.

Obi-Wan caught the Petro and Katooni’s eye. He rolled his eyes, causing them to laugh. This whole experience was going to undo every bit of sanity his recovery had created.

_Great._

…

“Alright, Rex,” Anakin said when they landed on Coruscant. “You can tell the men they’re all off duty.”

“Yes sir.”

Anakin was planning on going to see Padme before returning to the Temple. They had arrived a few hours early, so Obi-Wan wouldn’t be expecting him.

“Hey Cody,” he heard Rex say, “how was Kashyyyk?”

“I finally understand what General Kenobi meant by _crazy_ when he first described General Vos.”

“That bad, huh?” said Anakin, chuckling.

“Not bad, sir. Just… different than the General’s usual style.”

That’s an understatement.

“Obi-Wan’s getting a lot better,” Anakin assured the Commander. “He’ll be back in the field in no time.”

Cody shifted uncomfortably. “You’re sure sir? Even with what happened today?”

Anakin and Rex both stiffened. _What happened today? _

“What are you talking about?” Anakin asked.

Cody was clearly not ready for that answer. “Um, I don’t really know. I just know the Temple was attacked. By Cad Bane, I think. They haven’t told me much. Just that he’s alright.”

Anakin didn’t take the time to note to worry in the Commander’s voice. He simply dropped what he was doing and set out at a run for the Temple.

“Where—?” he asked the first Jedi he came across.

“Archives,” said Aayla.

Anakin raced down to the center of the Temple. There were two Guards posted outside the door. They let him in.

Many of the Jedi in the achieves jumped when he entered abruptly. Windu and Vos actually grabbed their lightsabers before realizing it was Anakin.

Anakin didn’t care, he scanned the group, only letting himself breathe when he saw Obi-Wan, sitting at a table, clearly exasperated.

He approached the group, “what happened?”

He wasn’t even sure what he was looking at. There were members of the Council: Windu, Fisto, and Mundi, as well as Vos, Master Sinube, and a handful of Younglings?

“I went into the open air and the entire galaxy decided to lose its mind,” said Obi-Wan drolly, “this is my life now.”

“This isn’t funny,” Anakin told him, “There was an attack? Are you hurt? Cody mentioned Bane—”

“Bounty Hunters Bane, Sing, and IG-88 attacked the Temple Courtyard,” said Windu.

“All I’m saying is that they attacked the Temple Courtyard two hours ago and we’re still cowering in the archives like someone dropped a bomb.”

“We’ve got Sing in custody,” Windu continued, ignoring Obi-Wan, “but Bane and the droid seem to have gotten away.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, which caused a spurt of laughter from the group of Younglings.

“We’re doing a thorough sweep of the area,” Windu said, “Yoda is going to make sure we’re in the clear.”

Anakin nodded. His heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Do we think they were working alone?”

“Oh, Anakin, _come on_,” said Obi-Wan, “this wasn’t a Separatist attack. This was a group of Bounty hunters. If they had more members, they would have utilized them _before _one of their party was arrested. Don’t start spreading ideas like that, I’ll never be allowed to leave the archive.”

“They were alone,” Vos agreed. “We would have seen any others.”

Anakin nodded, “but we’re still looking for Bane and IG-88?”

“Yes,” said Mace, “we’re going to give it a little more time before taking Obi-Wan to the Med Bay.”

Obi-Wan sighed, massaging his temple.

Anakin nodded, he allowed the group to converge without him again, stepping around them and moving towards Obi-Wan.

The Younglings seemed to be bubbling over with excitement. Obi-Wan seemed ready to chew his own arm off.

Anakin had never been good with kids… He smiled at them. Luckily, they weren’t paying any attention to him. On the contrary, they were all equally enthralled with discussing the fight with each other in graphic detail, and Obi-Wan, whose face went from brooding and annoyed to pleasant and smiling every time they looked his way.

“Mind if I steal him for a minute?” he asked the Younglings.

There were nods and smiles. Anakin gestured for Obi-Wan to step to the side with him.

His limp was worse than before.

“You’re hurt.”

“Oh, please, it’s the equivalent of me falling over. I’m just a little sore.”

“_This is serious_,” he hissed. Did he not understand? Did he just not care? How close had Bane come to killing him? With his injury, probably very close. Why was he acting like this?

“I _know_ this is serious,” Obi-Wan said. “But it’s not _this_ serious. It’s as though I’m still in a coma.”

Anakin didn’t understand, but he didn’t want to. “We’re trying to _protect_ you.”

“To what extent? Anakin—” he took a breath, steadying himself. “I don’t see myself as overly prideful, but I’ve hit my limit. The only words anyone has said to me in the past two hours have been “are you hurt, are you alright.”—Two younglings felt the need to come to my aid in that Courtyard. They almost got _killed_, Anakin. And I am _tired_, alright? I’m tired of being treated like an important artifact instead of a Jedi. We don’t _need_ to be in this vault anymore. And you all know that, so why are we still here? Is it fear? Or do you all just not trust me anymore?”

Anakin stared at him, “this isn’t about—”

“—then what is it about?” he pinched the bridge of his nose, then started again. “Anakin… I can only imagine what it must have been like to see me like that. In the Council room, I mean.”

Anakin’s lungs stopped working. He was bringing _that_ up? _Now?_ Anakin’s eyes scanned his friend’s face, trying to forget what it had looked like, twisted with Sidious’s laughter.

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “You should never have had to see that. None of you. You should never have had to hear Sidious’s account of what he did to me for all those weeks. But now it’s over. He’s gone. You don’t have to protect me twice as hard now just because it happened.”

Anakin stepped backwards, making Obi-Wan’s arm drop from his shoulder. He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.

“Are you—are you _honestly_ trying to tell me to stop protecting you?”

Obi-Wan chuckled slightly. “Anakin, I don’t think either of us will ever really stop protecting one another. But this… This isn’t the same. I’m not being treated like a human being Anakin. You have to have noticed by now—”

But Anakin was starting to get angry. He had just assumed Obi-Wan understood how serious the situation was. Was it pride? That made him ask Anakin to… what? Protect him harder than usual? Maybe he was protecting him more because a Sith Lord had poisoned his mind and ripped him apart and sent bounty hunters and armies after him.

Obi-Wan seemed to have sensed Anakin’s anger. He seemed to shrink, sighing.

“Never mind,” he muttered, “you should go talk to the others. They’re coming up with a plan.”

Anakin opened his mouth to argue, but Obi-Wan was already walking away. He moved back by the Younglings, but he no longer smiled and joked with them. He simply sat in his old chair and stared at his hands.

Anakin thought about following but decided against it. He approached the group of Jedi and joined the conversation about safety measures they would have to instate.

They moved Obi-Wan back to the Med Bay. The doctors looked at his leg, making sure nothing had been damaged. Anakin stayed at Obi-Wan’s side, but they didn’t speak. Obi-Wan didn’t speak at all unless asked a direct question.

Eventually, Mace gestured to him to come to the side.

“What is it?” he asked.

“He seems fine. But we’ve decided to keep him here tonight. It’s just more secure than his room.”

“I thought we were able to confirm Bane and IG-88 left the system?”

“We did, we just want to give it some time.”

Anakin didn’t say anything. The Med Bay felt suffocating to him. The place would always remind him of that week of watching Obi-Wan in a coma. And then after… the first night Sidious had spoken to Master Yoda through him… Anakin shuddered. He couldn’t lie, he had been relieved when Obi-Wan had been cleared to leave the Med Bay.

Of course, that was nothing to what Obi-Wan had felt. He looked over at Obi-Wan’s bed, expecting to see his friend staring at his hands like always. But he wasn’t. He was looking right at him. Anakin must have shown too much on his face. Obi-Wan sighed, putting his head in his hands.

Anakin couldn’t do this to him.

“No,” he said, “I’ll look after him. If you’re all truly this nervous he can stay in my room. But he won’t get any rest here. He hates this place.”

The group looked at him skeptically, but they agreed to let Obi-Wan spend the night in Anakin’s room.

Anakin was just about to go tell Obi-Wan, maybe that would help the tension between them, when one of the Younglings approached them.

“Yes Petro?” said Master Sinube.

“I…um… Wanted to apologize,” he said.

“Apologize?” said Windu, “for what?”

“I know now it would have been better for me to stay out of the fight. I… wasn’t thinking about how tricky Cad Bane was. I’m sorry if I put Master Obi-Wan in danger.”

The group stilled. Petro joined the fight? Clearly Vos and Master Sinube hadn’t noticed.

“Could you tell us what happened?” Master Sinude asked.

Petro explained the fight in depth. How Obi-Wan had lost his lightsaber, how Petro had tried to step in. How Obi-Wan had saved his life.

“I didn’t mean to put him in more danger,” said Petro. “I realize now he had a plan… He was only feigning being impaired in order to draw Bane in…”

Vos put a hand on the Youngling’s shoulder. “It’s all okay, kid. No one got hurt.”

Petro ran off after being assured, again, that there were no hard feelings. The group stood in silence for a moment.

“I didn’t think Obi-Wan was strong enough to fight Bane and defend others.”

“There’s no reason why he couldn’t,” said Doctor Nema. “His leg is weak, but he’s fought on worse injuries than this.”

“What about psychologically?” said Mundi.

“What do you mean?” asked Nema, “his brain waves are back to normal, his vitals are steady. When Sidious was banished, he returned to full mental health.”

“I asked you only a few days ago if he was healthy enough to fight,” said Windu, “you said no.”

“I said he _shouldn’t_ fight. But he certainly _could_ if he had to.”

Anakin was starting to feel incredibly guilty. Maybe part of what Obi-Wan had said was true. He had just assumed Obi-Wan had been putting on a brave face for him.

Anakin walked over to Obi-Wan’s bedside. Followed by Windu.

“Let me guess,” he said. “A few more days in the hospital?”

“We’re going to move you to Skywalker’s room,” said Mace, “but you should be able to leave Med Bay within the next few hours.”

Obi-Wan looked between the two of them for a moment. Then he smiled. “Thank you.”

A few of the other Jedi wandered over.

“We heard about the incident with the Youngling Petro,” said Master Sinude, “I hope the boy didn’t put you in too much danger.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “He has courage, I’ll give him that. I only wish he hadn’t felt the need to step in.”

“Your leg will heal up soon,” said Anakin. He assumed Obi-Wan was referring to his inability to end the fight quickly.

“That’s not what I meant,” Obi-Wan muttered.

It was back to the same argument.

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, trying to smother his anger, “you can’t be mad at us for protecting you.”

“I’m _not_, Anakin. But this has surpassed protection.”

“I don’t understand,” said Windu. “I honestly thought you’d be grateful, considering all the time you spent fending for yourself.”

“I _am_ grateful, Mace. I’m more than grateful. I’m not in pain anymore. Sidious isn’t in my head anymore.”

The group shifted uncomfortably. There was always a level of unease whenever Sidious’s control of Obi-Wan was mentioned. But coming from Obi-Wan himself… somehow it made it worse. Obi-Wan continued as though he hadn’t noticed.

“But now it’s over. I’m recovering. _Really_ recovering. But… I’m not being treated like an equal. I can’t get better and fulfil this prophesy unless you all trust me.”

“We do trust you Obi-Wan,” said Windu, “we just don’t think you should need to worry about these issues.”

Obi-Wan turned his head to the ground, closing his eyes.

“I feel like a prisoner, Mace.”

The group said nothing. A prisoner? Here? In the Temple? His home?

Master Plo Koon placed a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, “What do you mean, my friend?”

“I understand that you’re all protecting me. But you could at least tell me how, instead of having Jedi appear at my side with a generic excuse. In fact, just talking to me at all besides pleasantries would be nice. I mean, am I sicker than I think I am?”

“You’re much better,” said Anakin, “almost full health.”

“Then _why_ am I being protected from the truth? I’ve commanded armies in worse shape than this. Is it Sidious? Or is it just the idea of what he did to me?”

Anakin’s gut twisted again. He didn’t want Obi-Wan to go on. He didn’t want to think about that. He tried to shake it off, but he could hear the laughter Sidious had forced onto Obi-Wan. It haunted him every time he slept. Every silent moment.

“You never should have had to know that,” said Obi-Wan. “I won’t claim that anything he told you was a lie. When I was on the run… I lost a part of myself.” Obi-Wan looked up at the group in front of him. But the group seemed to be having trouble looking back at him.

“I have you all to thank for giving it back to me.”

The group said nothing.

“I am back to my old self,” said Obi-Wan, “what I want is to be _treated_ like it again.”

No one could argue with that.

…

Ironically, things got better after the attempt on Obi-Wan’s life. He slept in a cot in Anakin’s room. But besides that, things felt… normal.

He still spared with Anakin, and Jedi still shadowed him wherever he went. But now they didn’t try to hide their intentions. Three days after the attack, he got a message from Mace saying to come to the Council room in two hours. 

He showed up just a tad early. Nerves.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Mace and Yoda when he arrived.

“Nothing,” said Mace, “we just thought it might be time for you to rejoin the Council meetings.”

Obi-Wan felt an odd mixture of embarrassment and happiness. He didn’t think he’d ever be invited back.

The meeting was mostly uneventful. Every Council member smiled widely when they entered. They all greeted him happily, saying it was good to have him back. They all seemed to take Obi-Wan’s appearance as proof that things could go back to the way things were. Obi-Wan hoped so.

The meeting was nothing special. They talked about troops here and there, Obi-Wan was shocked to realize just how little he knew about the war.

Not that there was much to know. The war was definitely at a low point, probably because all of Sidious’s effort was going into killing Obi-Wan.

He did learn some startling facts, however. For one, Cato Neimoidia still had fighting. Even after Obi-Wan was confirmed on Coruscant, many Separatist groups stayed behind, they thought, to take back the base Obi-Wan was initially there for.

“We were going to send Master Vos there to finally clean that planet up,” said Mundi.

Immediately afterwards, Obi-Wan learned that Vos had temporarily taken over the 212th. Obi-Wan didn’t know how he felt about that…

There was an hour of strategy talk before the conversation inevitably circled back to Obi-Wan.

“And of course,” said Master Tiin, “the initial attack on Florrum wasn’t nearly as bad as it should have been in the first place because—”

His voice died out, and the circle seemed to shift awkwardly. Obi-Wan smiled pleasantly.

“Because the troops were all redirected to Cato Neimoidia?” he guessed.

Master Tiin smiled and nodded slightly.

“Now that we’re on the subject,” said Master Windu, “let’s talk about Obi-Wan.”

The circle chuckled slightly. Obi-Wan hid his discomfort. Though he, again, was suddenly aware that all the eyes in the room were on him.

They discussed guard rotations. There seemed to be a problem with the schedule a few days from then. Master Fisto was going to a meeting about the situation on Florrum and couldn’t take guard duty. About five minutes of discussion later, Obi-Wan decided to speak for the first time.

“I could just go to the meeting with you.”

Everyone looked at him. He tried to force himself not to go red in the face. Everyone was staring at him like they didn’t comprehend what he had said.

“I mean… because it’s just in the Temple, right? Just with other Jedi. I could attend the meeting.”

“You’re alright with sitting through a meeting like that?” Windu asked.

“It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do. It’ll be interesting. I’m more than willing to cooperate with my guard I just … need to know when I’m being guarded.”

Obi-Wan’s life became much more interesting than that. He went to many meetings, mostly because a highly confidential meeting filled with a bunch of Jedi was actually the safest place for him, and if he didn’t mind…

He also didn’t have to share pleasantries with his guard anymore. Everyone knew what was happening, no need to pretend to be “just passing through”.

He still sparred with Anakin, but he was getting much better. He spent most of his days waiting for Yoda to decide he was ready to begin training.

Sidious tried to kill him three times.

Only one was at all exciting. Obi-Wan was walking down a hallway towards the mess with Master Luminara. She had been acting as his guard for the past few hours.

“Master Luminara!” someone called from behind them.

It was Master Fisto. They waited for him to catch up.

“I’m sorry,” he said, upon seeing Obi-Wan, “is this a bad time? I was going to ask you a few questions about Felucia.”

“Don’t mind me,” said Obi-Wan, “I’m in no hurry.”

Obi-Wan leaned against the nearby windowsill while Luminara and Fisto discussed the troop movement on Felucia. He was taking over her attack and needed more information than the briefing had given.

Obi-Wan waited patiently. He was no more than fifty steps from the mess, where Anakin was most likely already waiting to take over as his guard, but he knew better than to ask to walk alone. It would just be his luck that he would be attacked the few seconds he didn’t have a guard. Besides, people were still on edge, for good reason, of course, and Obi-Wan was not going to make them any more stressed than they had to be. He didn’t want them to always worry about him slipping their guard.

Although, as their talk continued, something stirred in Obi-Wan. The sudden need to move around. Obi-Wan shifted on the windowsill, trying not to show his impatience.

Master Luminara saw him, though. She looked over.

“I’m sorry, Master Kenobi, we can walk while we talk.”

“That’s quite alright. I’m not trying to rush you. Just felt the need to move.”

That’s when he noticed Luminara was not looking at him anymore, but behind him, out the window. Before Obi-Wan had the chance to turn to see what she was looking at, she grabbed him, throwing him to the ground.

The shot came through the window immediately afterwards.

Master Fisto dived on top of Obi-Wan, shielding him from any more shots that came their way. None did.

“Who—”

“Embo,” said Luminara. She turned to Fisto, “stay with Obi-Wan. Skywalker should be in the mess. I’m going after Embo.”

And she was gone. Out the window. Fisto kept Obi-Wan on the ground for a few more seconds, then he let him up. They ran towards the mess, but Fisto made him duck under every window.

Luminara came very close to getting Embo, but he escaped. Again.

“This isn’t good,” said Mace, once he heard. “Embo might know his way around the temple, if Bane shared his intel from when he stole that holocron. He could be very dangerous.”

So, two guards were posted outside of Obi-Wan’s room. Of course, Obi-Wan was still sleeping in Anakin’s room. They were hoping to trick Embo into attacking the wrong place.

It worked, though not with Embo.

The third night of guards, through the vents, bounty hunter Razzi decided to try her hand at killing Obi-Wan again.

Mace Windu was waiting for her.

She’s now in prison.

Obi-Wan found out about all this in passing at lunch two whole days later. It had been such a silent and quick affair they had forgotten to even tell him it had happened.

The last attack had been only a day later. Obi-Wan was at least aware of that one. He was in the archives, mostly just fooling around, looking up strange facts no one really needed to know. He was only there because Master Plo Koon was his guard, and Plo had some actual productive research to do.

They heard the explosion come from upstairs.

Master Plo grabbed Obi-Wan immediately and shove him underneath the table. He stood above him, lightsaber at the ready.

Nothing happened.

Eventually Mace and Anakin raced in. Neither seemed harmed.

“Embo, or someone, set up a bomb at the West Atrium. It looked like it was on a timer.”

Obi-Wan might have been in the West Atrium at that time of day. It’s where he usually went when he had nothing else to do. But because of Master Plo’s research, he had been almost as far away as one could get while still being in the temple.

“Is anyone hurt?” asked Obi-Wan.

Mace shook his head. “Scared a protocol droid half to death, but other than that.”

Obi-Wan was very impressed with his friends for being so calm. Not once, in the three attacks, did Obi-Wan feel a little _too_ protected. In fact, his friends seemed to be starting to relax.

Everything was going great until Obi-Wan had a dream.

It was the night after the bomb, and he was on Naboo. But not Naboo as most people knew it. There was no festival of lights, no Gungans, in fact, there were no people around at all. Obi-Wan was standing in the palace’s generator complex.

He didn’t like that place.

But something was off. It didn’t feel dangerous… more familiar. He walked through the generators, eventually coming to the spot he would always remember.

He half expected to see his master’s body. But there was nothing there. No Maul, no ray shields. Everything was normal and quiet. At least, until—

“_Obi-Wan_”

Obi-Wan woke with a start. The voice of his old Master was still ringing in his ears. He sat up, taking deep breaths, and steadying his heartbeat.

“What’s wrong?”

Obi-Wan winced. He had woken Anakin.

“Is it a dream?” he asked, “is it Sidious?”

He was up and at Obi-Wan’s side in a shot.

“No,” Obi-Wan assured him quickly. “No, it wasn’t Sidious, it was just a dream.”

Anakin didn’t seem convinced.

“Stay here, I’m calling Master Yoda.”

“No—Anakin, it really isn’t important. It was just a dream, it startled me, but I’ve had dreams before Sidious, you know.”

But Anakin wasn’t listening. He picked up his communicator and started typing out a message.

Obi-Wan sighed, sitting up in bed. _Had_ it been Sidious? No. Obi-Wan was sane enough now to know what was the Sith Lord’s doing and what was his own mind… However, it hadn’t felt like a regular dream. It didn’t instill the same kind of fear that Sidious’s dreamscape had, but there was something a little too _real_ about it.

Mace and Yoda entered the room an alarmingly short amount of time later.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” said Obi-Wan quickly.

“_No_,” Anakin protested, “he had a dream.”

“Yes, a dream, sometimes people have those. But it wasn’t Sidious.”

“Are you sure?” said Mace.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to assure his friends he was, but would that be the truth? He sighed.

“I don’t know. It didn’t feel like Sidious, and I’m sure that I would be able to tell. But… I don’t know. The dream didn’t feel normal.

“Describe it, can you?”

Obi-Wan described his dream. It went by rather quickly.

“That’s it?” said Mace, “you woke up after that?”

“Master Qui-Gon’s voice felt so real. It shocked me. Like I said, not Sidious, just odd.”

“mmm,” said Yoda, “a good sign, this dream is. Ready you are, for the training.”

Obi-Wan’s heart leapt. And here he thought this dream was going to make his situation worse.

“Are you sure Master?” asked Anakin, “it sounds like Sidious tricking us.”

Yoda shook his head. “Calling out to Obi-Wan, the Force is. Ready, he is, to learn this skill.”

Anakin and Mace looked hesitant. Mace turned to him. “Do you think your physically able to go back into the field?”

Oddly enough, he did. His sparring sessions with Anakin were back to what they used to be. He no longer had any stiffness. He nodded.

“See you tomorrow morning, I will. The first lesson, we shall have.”

…

Obi-Wan met Yoda in the meditation room the next morning. He was anxious to get this training finished with. He was tired of being hunted.

“Master Obi-Wan,” Yoda said as he entered, “Sit, will you? Much to do, we have.”

Obi-Wan sat, cross legged, on one of the chairs. Yoda faced him.

“Deep into meditation, we must go. Speak with someone, you must.”

“Speak with someone?” Obi-Wan asked. “Who?”

Yoda chuckled. “Reveal themselves when ready, they will.”

Obi-Wan didn’t question it. He closed his eyes, letting himself become lost in the Force. It would have been easier if he knew what he was looking for. Nothing happened. They spent hours like this, Yoda and Obi-Wan sitting in deep meditation side by side.

Obi-Wan wasn’t going to lie, it tested his patience. But he knew that trying to rush the process would only make it worse.

At long last, something happened. Something terrifying.

“_Obi-Wan_”

Obi-Wan jumped, looking around. No one was there. But the voice… it was so familiar.

“Master Qui-Gon?”

Yoda chuckled, “focus again, shall you? Find your answer, you will.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes yet again, trying to steady his heartbeat. It had been his old Master’s voice, he was sure of it. Just like the dream. But that was impossible…

However, he _had_ spoken with his Master during that confusing expedition on Mortis…. But that hadn’t really been_him_, more of a shadow, made from past memories. Besides, Mortis had been far too strange to use as an example.

“_Obi-Wan_,” said the voice.

Obi-Wan jumped again— but was able to keep his concentration. “Who’s there?”

The connection started to fade, Obi-Wan fought to keep it, but… he just couldn’t. He didn’t understand how it worked, and whoever was on the other side didn’t have the strength to hold it by themselves.

But then there was Yoda. He seemed to pull the Force together, helping Obi-Wan commune with… whatever this was.

“Obi-Wan,” it said again. But this time it was different. It didn’t come from inside Obi-Wan’s head. Instead it came from…

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, and before him stood his Master.

He shook his head. It wasn’t possible. Consciousness could not exist after death. That was known.

“How— what are you?”

Qui-Gon smiled. He sat on a seat in front of Obi-Wan, as though he were real.

“I’m surprised you don’t recognize me,” he said, eyes twinkling.

He was making jokes. This ghost. This fucking _dead man_ was giving him sarcasm.

“How—”

“It’s a skill,” said Qui-Gon, “one you’re going to have to learn, my boy.” The spirit smiled kindly at him. “You’ve done so well. You’re almost there. But you have to go a bit farther. Meet me, Obi-Wan. On Dagobah. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Master Qui-Gon’s form began to dim. Obi-Wan wanted to bring it back, to ask about a thousand questions. But he couldn’t, he didn’t know how. And Master Yoda wasn’t going to do it for him.

Obi-Wan stared at the place where his Master had once sat. He couldn’t speak, his mouth gaping. He was going to have a heart attack.

“What was that?” he asked Yoda weakly. “Some kind of… trick? From Sidious?”

Yoda chuckled. “Feel like Sidious, did it?”

It didn’t. It felt like his Master. Something he hadn’t felt since—

“But… but how? That’s impossible.”

“Saw it, you did. Felt it, you did. Trust your feelings, do you not?”

Obi-Wan looked at Master Yoda. What was he saying?

“Is there… a way to keep your consciousness after death? To keep yourself from becoming complete with the Force?”

Yoda chuckled again, clearly pleased. “A quick learner, you have always been.”

Everything started to make sense. Of course… If Obi-Wan were to learn this power, he would be able to fulfil the prophesy, even if Sidious killed him. But there was something wrong.

“But Master Qui-Gon couldn’t commune with me on his own… You had to help him.”

Yoda nodded, “incomplete, Master Qui-Gon’s training was before his death. Unable to speak to those that dwell in the living force without help, he is. When first contacted me, he did, extreme measures, I took, to speak with him.”

Suddenly, Obi-Wan remembered. Yoda had been hearing voices. They had put him in a Bacta Tank. He had almost died. And then he had disappeared… and refused to say where he had gone.

Obi-Wan was starting to get excited. Once he finished his training, he was going to be able to speak to his Master again. Better yet… Obi-Wan had never been truly afraid of death… but after_ this_…

But his hopes were immediately squandered when he realized what he would have to do to learn this power.

“Master… How am I supposed to get all the way to Dagobah? I can’t even go into the Courtyard without getting shot at.”

Yoda nodded grimly. “Protect you through the trials, we must. Use stealth, we will.”

“You think we can get to Dagobah and back without Sidious noticing?”

“Dagobah, perhaps. But the only stop, the swamp planet is not. Find you, he will. His last chance, this is.”

“Then how?”

“Bring help, we will. And hope the Force is with us.”

Obi-Wan didn’t like that plan.

“So? How did it go?” Anakin sat down across from him in the Mess. He was followed by Plo Koon, Vos, and Windu. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to chuckle to himself. For the first time in weeks he was the only one _not_ out of the loop. Of course, that meant he had to find some way to explain this.

Master Yoda had been clear that he couldn’t tell anyone about this power. Not even Anakin. He said that only specific people were granted it, and that it would be best not to tempt the others.

Somehow, Obi-Wan understood. He could feel that the message from Qui-Gon had been for him. And him alone.

“It was… confusing.”

“That’s comprehensive,” Vos mocked.

“I don’t really understand it myself, it’s hard to explain…”

“How many more meetings like that before you’re free to leave the temple?” asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan shifted his food around on his plate. “That’s the tricky part. This session wasn’t really part of the training. It was more… explaining what the training is going to be. I have to go through trials. And to go through the trials…” he trailed off. How was he supposed to do this? Putting himself in danger to go to Dagobah, that was one thing, telling his friends— who had worked so hard to keep him alive this far— that was another.

“What?” asked Anakin.

“I have to leave the planet.”

The four Jedi sat in stunned silence. He couldn’t make eye contact with Anakin.

“You’ll never make it off this planet alive,” said Vos, “you’re dodging windows as it is. Step out of the temple, you’re dead. Yoda has to know that.”

“It’s not up to Yoda. It’s…” Obi-Wan thought for a moment. “It’s just what has to happen. I can’t do this in the temple.”

He paused, thinking. He might as well tell them all of it. It’s not like the situation could get worse.

“And… it’s not just the one stop. I’ll have to travel to a few different planets. I’m not sure which one’s yet…”

“_What_?” said Vos. “Kenobi, come on, you’ve got to figure out another way to do this. One that doesn’t make you leave the temple.”

“There isn’t one.”

“And how does Master Yoda suggest we keep you alive while you go on this journey?” asked Plo Koon.

“He has a few ideas. He’s going to have a meeting tonight.”

Anakin looked furious, but he waited until the other three left before he shared his frustrations.

“Master Yoda can’t expect you to traipse across the galaxy—”

“I want to do it Anakin.”

Anakin stopped. His anger only grew at that.

“You _want_ to die? Do you even understand what Sidious is going to do to you if—”

“Yes, Anakin. I have a pretty good idea, considering I spent over a month being tortured by him every time I closed my eyes.”

Anakin looked as though Obi-Wan had slapped him. In a way, he had. Obi-Wan made a point never to bring up what he had gone through in front of Anakin. He knew the boy secretly still believed it to be his fault.

Obi-Wan backtracked. “What I mean is… Oh Anakin, you can’t expect me to hide in this Temple forever, do you? I belong out there, fighting with you. I belong with my men. And I will never be able to do that if I don’t risk this trip.”

Anakin said nothing.

“I can’t hide anymore Anakin,” Obi-Wan said desperately. “Don’t ask me to, please.”

Obi-Wan knew that this, at least, was something Anakin understood. The boy didn’t agree. But he wasn’t going to object.

That night, Yoda explained his plan. If Anakin was upset when Obi-Wan told him, he must have been losing his mind during the meeting. Yoda proposed a small group of Jedi. Just one ship. They would sneak off Coruscant without telling anyone and hope to go unnoticed.

Better yet, Yoda himself couldn’t come along. His absence on Coruscant would be far too easy to notice.

“Sidious is bound to realize Obi-Wan is gone eventually,” said Windu. “There is very little chance of us avoiding a fight.”

Yoda nodded, “but minimize it, we can. Avoid conflict for as long as possible, we must.”

Every single Jedi in the temple volunteered to come along. They were nothing if not determined.

In the end, Obi-Wan was going to be escorted by Windu, Plo Koon, Vos, Shaak ti, and, of course, Anakin. Cody and Rex would also accompany them, as long as a handful of other clones from the 501st and 212th. Whoever volunteered. But they couldn’t take too many. This wasn’t an assault; this was a stealth mission.

They left that night. Why wait? They told no one they were leaving. The more people who knew, the better the chance Sidious would catch on. Cody, Waxer, and Boil joined them from the 212th. Rex, Fives, and Tup joined them from the 501st. Obi-Wan could tell they had a hundred questions, but, then again, so did the Jedi. No one asked him anything. He was grateful.

Obi-Wan sat in the back of the ship, trying to compose himself, and get ready for the trials. He didn’t know what to expect. What if he couldn’t do them? What if Sidious found them?

Obi-Wan took a few deep breaths. He couldn’t think like that.

Anakin punched in the coordinates for Dagobah, and they were swallowed by the stars.


	17. Chapter 17

There was a palpable tension in the air when they landed on Dagobah. No one had really planned this far into their excursion. Including Obi-Wan. So… He was here… Was Qui-Gon just going to approach the ship and start talking to him? He doubted it…

“Nothing in the atmosphere, sir,” Rex said to no one in particular.

“Good,” said Windu. “One of you stay in the ship and monitor the situation. Tell us if anything comes too close. Besides that, shut off any system that could be detected.”

Waxer waited in the ship, the rest of the group stepped onto the planet.

Rex immediately sank down into the swamp to the knee.

He groaned. “Great planet.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but agree. The entire planet seemed to be overweighed with fog and mosses. The trees blocked out the sun.

“What now?” asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. “I guess I’ll be back soon.”

“Probably unlikely one of us would be able to come with you,” said Plo Koon, “for protection?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I need to do this part on my own.”

The group nodded. Though they didn’t look happy about it.

“Good luck,” said Shaak ti.

Obi-Wan smiled at the group. Then he turned away, picking a direction, and trekked off.

He could feel his friends’ eyes follow him as he traveled into the swampland. After a few minutes, he looked back. The trees had swallowed his friends. He set off at a brisk jog, hopping over tree trunks, using vines to swing over the more dangerous parts of the bog.

He never questioned which direction to turn. Everything seemed perfectly clear. The Force told him where to go.

After a while, once he was a good distance from the ship, he found a small clearing. He moved to the center, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Yoda wasn’t there to help the connection, but something told Obi-Wan he wouldn’t need him. He let himself get lost in the force.

“Master?” he said, “I’m here… are you there?”

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. Around him, small sources of light weaved through the air. The seemed to dance with one another, like fireflies. But it didn’t matter what they looked like, Obi-Wan could recognize what he felt.

“Master.”

“You’ve grown, my young Padawan,” he said. “You have become a great Jedi Master, just as I foresaw.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Can you show yourself?”

“No. My training was incomplete at the time of my death. I cannot fully return to the Living Force without the help of someone who has finished the training.”

_Like Master Yoda._

“What is this training? What must I do?”

“Come,” said Qui-Gon, “follow the light. The light will be your guide.”

Obi-Wan stood and the small balls of light floated even farther away from his friends. Obi-Wan bit his lip, he didn’t want to get lost. Or stray too far from the group. But he had a job to do. He followed the light.

It was the most peculiar experience. He could tell the lights were one being, but they seemed to move in a completely random pattern. They flinted through the branches of trees, sometimes moving high, and brushing through the top branches, sometimes sinking to the swampy floor, and lighting Obi-Wan’s path.

“Master,” he said after a few minutes, “why is this power so important? Is this just because of the prophesy?”

“Yes and no,” said his Master, “the prophesy is simply one part of the bigger problem. One that we must do everything we can to fight.”

“What is it?”

The light stopped suddenly and Obi-Wan stepped into it. There was nothing but warmth and joy as the light swirled around him.

“Go into the cave,” said his Master, “and you shall see.”

The light retreated back, and suddenly Obi-Wan felt a cold wave of darkness pass over him. He looked in front of him, into the mouth of a dark cave.

“What is in there?”

“The answer to your questions,” said Master Qui-Gon. “But be cautious. Give power to that which you fear, and it will show itself to you.”

The light vanished, leaving Obi-Wan staring into the darkness in front of him. He took a deep breath and entered the cave.

…

At first, nothing happened. Then the cold darkness seemed to seep out from the floor. Shapes formed around him, showing terrible visions.

They went by so fast, Obi-Wan couldn’t possibly comprehend them all. But he did catch snapshots.

He saw bodies littering the ground. Young and old. He saw Padmé, crying out in pain on a surgical table. He saw Anakin on the ground, limbs cut off, and then—no, no! —he caught fire. The flames swallowed his friend, as he cried out in pain, gripping the ground with his robotic arm.

“No!” Obi-Wan reached his hand out towards the image, but it disappeared as soon as he did so. Suddenly, Obi-Wan’s ears were filled with the sound of breathing, as though someone was using a respirator. It was so loud. Obi-Wan pressed his hands over his ears, but the noise didn’t dim.

Then he saw where it came from. A masked figure, all in black, with a red lightsaber at his side. _A new Sith Lord._Obi-Wan stumbled backwards as the Sith raised his weapon, but he was not attacking him, he was attacking an old man.

Then Obi-Wan realized the Sith _was_ attacking him. The old man… that was Obi-Wan. But the scene shifted, and the masked Sith Lord was back, but now he was fighting—

Obi-Wan gasped. _No._ It was Ahsoka. She was older, but Obi-Wan would recognize the child anywhere. She fought him well, but then… she fell. The Sith raised his weapon for the kill—

“No!” Obi-Wan shouted again, but again, the scene disappeared. The Sith Lord’s form whirled before him, looking directly at him. There was something about him. Something important, but Obi-Wan did not have the strength to look for the answer.

He vaguely remembered stumbling out of the cave before falling to his hands and knees, and then the world turned dark.

“Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. How long had he been unconscious? How much time had he given Sidious to find him? But then he remembered what he had seen in the cave, and suddenly Sidious was far from his mind.

He sat up, looking into the light that had returned to him. “When will that happen? How can I stop it?”

“You can’t,” said Qui-Gon.

“No—” he couldn’t believe it. Anakin and Ahsoka were in danger, or at least were going to be, there had to be something he could do.

“Obi-Wan,” said Qui-Gon, “do you understand why you were shown this?”

Obi-Wan thought for a moment, “the darkness in the universe,” he said, “it’s only going to grow.”

“We need to ensure the future of the light,” said Qui-Gon, “which means we need you to learn this power, to stay behind after death, and to be a guide for the next generation of Jedi. Hard times lay ahead of us. But that does not mean the light cannot prevail.”

“Why me?”

“You were chosen,” said Qui-Gon, “you will prove strong.”

“But… Chosen by who?”

“All. All those that dwell in the Cosmic Force.”

Obi-Wan didn’t ask any more questions, though he had them. He followed the light through the swamp yet again, paying very little attention to where they were going.

“Who is this boy Yoda saw? How will I know when I meet him?”

“You will know,” said Qui-Gon, “the force will tell you.”

Obi-Wan thought about that. What was the force telling him? _Was_ this boy Anakin? Somehow, he didn’t think so…

“You will have to move swiftly. Your pursuers will soon know you are missing. Though your next stop will protect you from them.”

“Where am I going?”

“To the place where life in the galaxy started. The birthplace of the Force.”

“Where is that?”

“Let your feelings guide you. You will find it.”

The light stopped, and Obi-Wan stopped with it.

“You have done well, but you still have far to travel. Good luck, Obi-Wan, and may the Force be with you.”

And his Master was gone. Obi-Wan could hear his own heartbeat. He stood, steadying his breathing. He had to find his friends, Master Qui-Gon had said the Separatists were close to discovering they were gone… they couldn’t be caught here. He stepped forward, moving aside a large curtain of vines blocking his path, and there was the ship, and his loyal guard.

Master Plo Koon was closest to him, he lifted his weapon at the sudden movement, but then relaxed.

“Obi-Wan,” he said, “thank goodness. You’ve been gone a long time; we were getting nervous.”

Obi-Wan forced himself to smile.

“I’m fine,” he said, “but we should go.”

The group didn’t ask him any questions as they loaded into the ship. Something told him Yoda had told them not to before they had left. Obi-Wan was grateful. He wouldn’t have been able to explain this.

Anakin was the first one to break the silence, “where are we going?”

He sat in the pilot’s seat, ready to take off.

“Umm…” Obi-Wan knew how strange his next statement would sound, but there was no other way. “I… don’t know. I have to drive. It’s supposed to… come to me.”

Anakin raised his brow. Obi-Wan waited for him to ask, but instead he just slid to the co-pilot’s seat. “Alright.”

Obi-Wan was, again, grateful to his friends for rolling with the punches. He sat in the pilot’s seat and got them into the upper atmosphere. He let his mind wander while setting the Nava computer.

He thought about his vision in the cave. He glanced at Anakin quickly, making sure to look away before the boy noticed. He couldn’t un-see what he had seen. Anakin being swallowed by those flames… Could he survive the experience? Obi-Wan didn’t see how. His stomach twisted. Anakin had still been so young in the vision… How much time did he have? Obi-Wan forced himself not to think like that. He could not live his life in fear of the future. There was nothing to say every part of the vision was to come true. And if it did… there was nothing Obi-Wan could do but be there for his friend. He would have to wait and see what happened.

Despite the horrors that lay in his future, Obi-Wan knew that if he told Anakin about the images he had seen, his own death would have disturbed him the least.

Padmé had died, of that much was certain. There was something about the look on her face that told Obi-Wan she had not clung to life for long after what he had seen. Another painful twist in stomach, Padme did not deserve to die in such a way. So young, in so much pain. But he knew Anakin would be twice as distressed by it.

And then there was Ahsoka. Obi-Wan couldn’t imagine what Anakin would do if he heard. Had she been killed? Obi-Wan couldn’t think of a scenario where she would survive. The masked Sith… Obi-Wan had never felt such a powerful Sith.

Obi-Wan realized he had set the Nava computer… it felt right. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was going. He would find out when he got there. Obi-Wan activated the hyperdrive and they shot away.


	18. Chapter 18

“Uh… sir?”

Obi-Wan looked at Waxer, who was still manning the scanners.

“The location you set in…?” Waxer started.

“Yes?”

“There’s nothing there.”

The group looked at Waxer, then to Obi-Wan.

“Are you sure?” asked Anakin.

Waxer nodded.

Obi-Wan thought for a moment.

“No,” he said, “this is right. Whatever planet we’re headed to it must not be showing up.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, either way, we’re about to find out” said Shaak ti.

They fell out of hyperspace and saw…

Well, there was definitely something there. If there _was_ a planet, it was enveloped in some type of glowing nebula. It grew out from the center like a flower made of sunlight.

Vos whistled, “you think that’s it?” he joked.

“The computers still don’t read planetary masses,” said Waxer.

“No, there’s something in there,” said Windu.

Shaak ti nodded, “some place strong with the Force.”

Before Obi-Wan could agree, the ship did it for him. The controls were jerked from his hands. Anakin seemed to have a similar problem.

“Woah,” he said. “are you doing this?”

“No,” said Obi-Wan. “I think the planet is bringing us in.”

The group watched the controls steer themselves. As they entered the nebula, the monitors flickered and glitched. Eventually, the planet came into view.

The group was clearly becoming agitated. What if the ship didn’t stop when they reached the planet? Were they going to crash? But Obi-Wan could sense that wasn’t going to happen. They were just making sure the group landed in the right place. As for who _they_ were, he wasn’t sure. But he did know he was about to find out.

The nebula seemed to be coming from the planet. Swirling lines of light streamed from craters that seemed to lead to the planet’s core.

The ship landed itself smoothly, and the controls went dead.

“Well,” said Anakin, “that was exciting.”

“Whoever brought us in decided not to kill us, so that’s a good sign.”

The group started towards the exit, clearly going to explore this new planet. But something felt off… The light was coming from the craters. That was where Obi-Wan needed to go. But he would need the ship to get in… he tried to activate the controls. No good.

“Coming?” Anakin asked, the last one on the ship with him.

Apparently, he was. With no ship he had no other choice. He followed Anakin.

But the moment Anakin stepped off ship the controls flickered back to life. The engine even revved, as though impatient. The group stared at their ship, that seemed to have developed a mind of its own. Obi-Wan was the only one on board, he checked the console by the door.

“Fully operational.”

“Well,” said Shaak ti, “we might as well go search the craters.”

However, the minute Anakin stepped foot back on the ship, it went dead once more.

“Subtle,” said Vos. “looks like it wants Kenobi.”

Whoever was behind this did seem to be sending a message: Obi-Wan goes, everyone else stays.

“I’m having serious Mortis flashbacks,” Anakin said.

“I’ve been having a lot of those recently,” Obi-Wan agreed. “I guess I’ll be back.”

“I don’t like this,” said Windu. “You’d be taking our only means of getting to you. If Sidious attacks, we have no way of warning you.”

“Something tells me this planet’s not going to let anyone enter if it doesn’t want to,” Obi-Wan said.

“I agree,” said Shaak ti, “the only one able to sense this planet’s existence before we arrived was Master Kenobi. It seems to be calling out to him. It will protect him.”

Anakin stepped off the ship. It came back to life.

His friends looked very uneasy. Obi-Wan felt uneasy as well, though for a different reason. If he didn’t come back from this mission, how would they get off this planet? He decided not to think like that. He would be fine, he was sure.

Obi-Wan turned to go back into the ship, but something stopped him. There was something he had to do still.

He walked back to Anakin.

“What is it?” he asked.

Obi-Wan took out his lightsaber and held it out for him.

“What—” Anakin said, “what are you doing?”

“Keep it safe for me. I won’t need it.”

“You are keeping your lightsaber,” Anakin said, “that’s non-negotiable.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No. Something tells me they won’t show themselves if I’m armed.”

“Could that be because they want an easy target?”

“Oh, Anakin if whoever resides here wanted to kill me, they would have crashed the ship.”

“And that’s a good enough reason to give up your lightsaber?”

“I’ll be fine,” he tossed his lightsaber at Anakin, who caught it mostly out of reflex. “I have a feeling.”

Anakin looked like he wanted to slap him. Obi-Wan didn’t blame him. But he just nodded to his friends and stepped back inside the ship.

Yep, serious Mortis flashbacks. As Obi-Wan piloted the ship downward, he was momentarily swallowed by the light. When his ship emerged, Obi-Wan laid eyes on one of the most confusing planets he had ever seen.

The plant life alone was enough to interest him. The plants appeared more animal-like; they moved without wind, occasionally glowing without sunlight. When Obi-Wan exited the ship, the very air he breathed felt… wrong. Not bad, just different. Somehow cleaner than he had ever felt before, yet… thick. Not humid, the planet was actually quite cold, just dense.

Obi-Wan took a few steps forward, examining the new terrain. He reached out to touch one of the plants near him, when he heard something.

“_Obi-Wan_”

It wasn’t Qui-Gon’s voice, but it echoed much like his had. Obi-Wan turned, trying to see where it had come from.

“_Obi-Wan_”

It was a woman’s voice, it gave off a sing-song tone. But he couldn’t find the source.

“Yes?” said Obi-Wan. “I’m here.”

“_And why have you come?_”

Obi-Wan had assumed it was obvious. “I wish to be taught how to keep my consciousness after death.”

“_Yes_” Obi-Wan could see what was talking to him now. It was an orb of light, descending from above. It circled down towards him. “_But the question is, are you ready. Are you worthy.”_

The orb stopped in front of him and began to glow brighter and brighter until Obi-Wan had to shield his eyes. When he looked back, there was no orb, but a woman. Or at least, he assumed. She wore a long black cloak. The face of the creature was hidden by a mask which showed a face with no emotion. The eyes seemed to bore into Obi-Wan’s soul.

The woman, priestess perhaps, drifted slowly towards the ground. Her foot touched the soil for only a moment, and then she floated upwards, hovering inches above the earth. From where she had touched the ground, another plant sprouted. Obi-Wan starred at it, then at the priestess in front of him.

“_You’re late_,” she said, “_though it’s to be expected. Being pursued, as you were, lateness is inevitable._”

“How do you know of that?”

“_We watch and study all who are strong with the Force. This means you, Obi-Wan. Now come, we have much to discuss if you are to be trained._”

Obi-Wan didn’t hesitate to follow the strange creature. Though the more he watched her, the more confusing she became. The areas around her brightened, but she didn’t seem to exude any light herself. It was as though the planet was lighting her path. All plant-life made way for her. She never touched the ground again. Instead she glided swiftly a foot from the floor.

She was a bit taller than him, even without the floating. And there was this calmness about her… Obi-Wan was very intrigued.

Finally, they reached a large wall. Perhaps it was made of stone? But it could just as easily have been made of the strange plant-life. Just as he though the Priestess was going to go around it, a circular opening widened in the center, and she glided through. Obi-Wan followed.

They entered a small room. The wall behind Obi-Wan closed, plunging them into semi darkness. But then the walls became alight with spiraling designs. Obi-Wan stared around him in awe.

“_Cousins_” said the Priestess, “_I have a guest._”

Cousins? Were there more of this creature? Obi-Wan’s questions were immediately answered when another glowing orb appeared at the Priestess’s side.

“_He should not be here_” growled a glowing orb. “_He is not ready._” The orb became yet another Priestess. The only difference between the two was that this one’s mask was full of emotion. Full of anger.

“_Oh, no, no._” said a much happier looking Priestess, “_Look how far he has come. The struggles that he has faced. He will prove strong._”

“_He is not as powerful as the other,_” said a Priestess, mask full of sadness, “_he will fail. He will disappoint us. He will disappoint himself. And the Sith will destroy him. He is set for death. He will not fulfill the prophesy._”

The other? She must have meant Yoda. Obi-Wan couldn’t help but agree with that Priestess. If Yoda’s power was the bar, Obi-Wan was afraid he fell very short indeed.

“_What will become of the Light if he fails?_” the final Priestess questioned, clearly confused, “_Should we not wait until he is more experienced?_”

“_His future is set,_” said the first Priestess. “_we shall watch and see._”

“_Why _this _one?_” snapped Anger, “_at least the other was powerful, experienced. What does this youth have to offer?”_

“_He shall protect and train the One. The Force Wielder who shall settle the great rift. He will provide guidance. For this, he was chosen._”

“_But he does not know what he has been chosen for,_” wailed Sadness, “_he doesn’t understand what is at stake._”

Obi-Wan felt the need to speak up in his own defense. Not succeeding in the training was one thing. Not being able to try at all was another.

“You’re right, I don’t know what’s in store,” he admitted, “but I must face it anyway.”

“_He has courage_,” sang Joy.

“_And do you realize what you _will_ face?_” Anger asked, “_What you must _do_?_”

“No,” Obi-Wan admitted.

“_Good_,” said Anger, “_then you won’t be afraid_.”

Anger laughed cruelly. But then all the other Priestesses started laughing as well. This went on for a while. To be honest, it pissed him off. Who were these people? Why did they find so much enjoyment in his suffering? If he had to be taught this power, why couldn’t Yoda or Qui-Gon do it? He didn’t trust these… things. These spirits.

“_Will we have a vote_?” said the first priestess.

The five joined together above Obi-Wan. “_It is so_,” they said together, “_we are one, and one is all_.”

They moved back, and Obi-Wan looked around the group.

“_Do you come to us with only good intentions, and Light in your heart?”_

“I do,” said Obi-Wan.

“_The blessing, I give. And the training will begin_.”

Obi-Wan did not have much time to be relieved. The Priestesses started to circle around him. It was the most disorienting experience Obi-Wan had ever had. Soon enough, they spun so quickly that nothing changed in front of him except the face of the Priestess. As if they were occupying the same space. It became so dizzying, that soon Obi-Wan’s vision faded, and he remembered no more.

Obi-Wan woke up surrounded by odd plants. He sat up; he was back outside. This planet was getting stranger and stranger the longer he was there.

The plant-life around him suddenly moved, giving him space. But Obi-Wan knew the plants weren’t moving for him.

He turned, standing, to see the first Priestess gliding towards him.

“Where am I exactly?” Obi-Wan asked. “What is this planet? Is it like Mortis?”

“_All that surrounds us is the creation of life. The birthplace of what science calls Midi-chlorians. It is what connects the Living Force and the Cosmic Force_.” The priestess approached a plant nearby and gently touched it. Immediately, it withered and died. Light seeped from its remains, and fluttered upwards, towards the nearest crater. “_When a living thing dies, life passes from the Living Force to the Cosmic Force. It is a cycle; one powers the other_.”

Obi-Wan knew all this. And it did not really answer his question. But he remained silent.

“_Come with me_.”

Obi-Wan followed the Priestess. She led him towards the edge of a cliff. More plant-life floated on its own accord over the edge. Before Obi-Wan could marvel at it, the Priestess drifted over the edge. Obi-Wan hesitated. He didn’t want to lose her but… Finally, took a deep breath and jumped onto one of the odd plants floating and making a path for him.

It held his weight. He jumped to the next one, following the Priestess.

“_In order to preserve your identity at death, you must know yourself_,” said the Priestess. “_Your true self. And then… let it go. On that island dwells all that remains unconquered. What, in your existence, some call evil. Otherwise known as fear. All must be overcome before the journey can be taken. You must free yourself._”

“The Jedi spend their lives doing just that,” said Obi-Wan. How long had he been learning to control his emotions? As long as he could remember. He didn’t see what this island would teach him.

“_Have you?_” said the Priestess skeptically. She pointed to the island. “_you must face your evil and defeat it._”

Her image began to glow again. She turned back into the glowing orb and flew away.

Obi-Wan watched her go. Then he turned back to look at the island. He was starting to regret not bringing his lightsaber… Too late now. He jumped from one plant to the next, towards the island shrouded in clouds and darkness.

…

Getting to the island was much easier than he thought it would be. The plants moved to make his path. Finally, he landed lightly on the stone floor.

He scanned his new terrain. Lightning clashed above him. All the plant-life seemed to be dead. It was not a happy place.

Sounds about right… Obi-Wan walked through the dead vegetation, avoiding the sharper rocks and climbing tree trunks. The dark trees around him became thicker and thicker. Obi-Wan was starting to wonder if anything was going to happen when he heard it.

“_Obi-Wan_.”

Of all the times Obi-Wan had heard someone say his name that day, this was by far the most terrifying. The voice did not echo like the Priestesses. Instead it seemed to shake, like a man in serious pain. And something else… did the voice have a tone of enjoyment? As though it liked the pain…

Obi-Wan shuddered, looking around. He saw nothing move in the shadows.

“_Obi-Wan_,” said the voice. It was behind him again. Obi-Wan whipped around.

“Who’s there?” he called.

The voice was a man’s. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

“_Obi-Wan hates me_?” the voice laughed. That was when Obi-Wan finally got a look at it.

He couldn’t see it in the shadows because it was shadow. The only light that came from it were the eyes, terrible and red. But the figure itself… Obi-Wan realized why he recognized the voice. It was _his_ voice, bent and raspy. The figure was _him_.

When the Priestess had told Obi-Wan he would face his evil, he hadn’t thought she was being so literal.

Just when Obi-Wan came to this realization the figure launched itself at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him down.

“_Obi-Wan never listens to me anymore!_” it spat.

Yep, Obi-Wan was really wishing he had listened to Anakin and brought his lightsaber. He struggled against the darkness’s grip, kicking out.

The figure locked a hand around Obi-Wan’s throat. He gasped for breath, scratching at the darkness but it was no good. It picked him up off the ground and threw him into a tree. Obi-Wan coughed, turning just in time to kick away the figure before it could tackle him again.

A third time, the figure lunged. It was fast. Obi-Wan tried to block. It grabbed him, pulling him around, trying to grab his throat. Obi-Wan kicked out at it again. This time, he hit his mark. The creature stumbled backwards. Obi-Wan used the Force, pushing it backwards.

He stood, facing the creature. “You’re not real,” he said.

The figure chuckled. “_I’m not? You refuse to see what is inside you_?”

“You are no part of me.”

The creature growled at him. “_Lies. You spend your life hiding from me. But now, FACE ME OBI-WAN. Or I will DESTROY YOU._”

Obi-Wan understood. This time, he attacked first. He punched the creature, knocking it backwards. Then he kicked it again.

But the creature was stronger than he thought. It grabbed his leg, knocking him to the ground and pinning him down. It punched him. Then again. I definitely _felt_ real. Come to think of it… Obi-Wan had never claimed to not _feel_emotions. He felt love for his friends. He even felt hatred towards Maul when he had killed Qui-Gon… and Satine. And, of course, he felt sadness when one of his men or friends were killed.

Obi-Wan kicked out, getting the creature off of him. He stood, raising his arms in defense. The creature lunged at him again. He dodged letting it fall past him and punched it.

Come to think of it… was it the way of the Jedi to not have emotion? Or was it to not let those emotions control his actions?

That’s when it hit him. Not the dark creature (though that hit him as well) but the realization of what this test was really about. He couldn’t control that he _had _this darkness. But he _could _control whether or not he let it control _him_.

The monster stood against him, waiting for him to attack. But he didn’t.

“You are a part of me,” he told it. “but that doesn’t mean you have any say in who I am.”

The creature looked confused at this sudden turn of events. Obi-Wan held out his hand, but instead of pushing the monster away from him, he brought it closer.

It fought him, but it was no use. It was part of Obi-Wan, and it would do what Obi-Wan commanded. Eventually, it fell at his feet. He kneeled in front of it looking at it up close. It looked scared.

“You’re my darkness,” he told it, “I reject you.”

He touched it, and cracks started to form. Light poured from them, until the creature fell apart. Obi-Wan barely had time to register what had happened when his vision blurred, and he collapsed.

…

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but eventually he opened his eyes to the dark island once more. He stood, walking towards the entrance, and sitting in the light for a moment. He breathed, trying to steady his heartbeat.

He felt the Priestess before he saw her.

“_You have done well. You are ready for your next trial.”_

Obi-Wan looked up to see all five Priestesses floating before him. He nodded.

“What must I do?”

The first Priestess pointed behind Obi-Wan, “_You must enter the valley of extinction_,” she said. Obi-Wan looked to where she was pointing. Mist and smoke parted, making way for the entrance of a dark tunnel. “_Go forth without emotion, without attachment_.”

The rest of the priestesses joined in, they spoke as one, “_for you will see all of these things there, and they will seduce you_.”

“_For we are confusion_,” said one priestess, vanishing afterwards.

“_Anger_”

“_Sadness_,”

“_Joy_,”

“_And Serenity_,” said the first priestess.

They had all become orbs of light once more, floating forward and vanishing into the valley.

Obi-Wan starred at the place they had vanished. They were the emotions… and they were going to—what? Mess with his head? Was he really going to waltz into a valley and let these priestesses play with him like that?

Yes. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Obi-Wan was going to do. He took a deep breath.

_It’s not real,_ he told himself. But he knew that wouldn’t matter.

He walked into the Valley of Extinction.

…

For a few moments, he was surrounded by a dark mist, but then the world around him shifted. He stood in the halls of a Republic battleship. But something was off. As the image around him cleared, he saw the problem.

The ground was littered with bodies.

His men.

“No,” he said. He ran up to the nearest Trooper, turning him over. “_No_.” he gasped.

It was Cody. His eyes were open and lifeless. A burning gash cut across his chest. He had been killed by a lightsaber.

“No, _no_.”

His heart was beating in his throat. What had happened? Who had _done_ this? Dooku? Grievous? Where had he been? Why hadn’t he protected them?

There was a cry from around the corner.

“Anakin,” he breathed.

He was up and running. He turned the corner and saw—

“_No!_”

It was the vision he saw in the cave. Anakin’s limbs had been severed. He lay on his stomach, face twisted with pain, he reached out with his mechanical arm.

“Master,” he gasped. “Obi-Wan. Help me.”

Obi-Wan ran to his side. He grabbed Anakin around the middle, turning him over, and propping him up in his lap.

“Anakin—” he said. He had to help him. He knew what was coming… he had to stop it.

“Master—” Anakin was looking at him. His eyes were bloodshot, almost pure red. “Y—you said I was the chosen one.”

He coughed, Obi-Wan held him close. He didn’t know what to do.

“Why has this happened to me? Why… did you do this to me?”

More coughing. Tears streamed down Obi-Wan’s face. He had to help his Padawan. But how?

“Why? Why didn’t you train me better?”

Suddenly Anakin caught fire.

“No!” screamed Obi-Wan. He tried to put it out, but the fire spread up his friend and soon it had completely engulfed him.

“Anakin!”

But as the flames subsided, Anakin was no longer there. Obi-Wan stood, looking around. He heard mechanical breathing down the hallway…

“I can help.”

Obi-Wan spun around, fists raised, ready to fight. But it wasn’t an enemy. It was—

“Ahsoka?”

The young girl stood behind him. Seeing her, completely unharmed and untainted, was dizzying. She didn’t belong in the setting she was in.

“I can take you away from this,” she said. “I left the Temple, remember? I know a better way.”

She held out her hand, smiling gently.

“Take my hand, Master. Close your eyes and I’ll take you to a place where you’ll never know pain. Never know sadness.”

Obi-Wan looked at Ahsoka’s outstretched hand. He wanted to. Badly. Even though he should have known better, he took her hand and closed his eyes. Just seeing Ahsoka had set his mind slightly at ease. He was desperate for more. To forget what he had just seen.

He felt his surroundings change. The sun hit his face. He opened his eyes.

He was standing in a familiar hallway. But he couldn’t quite remember where it was. The windows showed a beautiful planet outside. Naboo? Obi-Wan was pretty sure. Which meant this was the Palace. Ahsoka was standing next to him. She smiled, gesturing toward one end of the hall. Obi-Wan heard voices.

“Naboo?” Obi-Wan said as he followed Ahsoka, “why Naboo?”

“What do you mean, Master?” said Ahsoka, “we stay with family.”

Obi-Wan didn’t know what that meant.

He stepped through the door at the end of the hall, towards the voices.

“Anakin!” he said.

Anakin turned to him. He was completely unharmed. Even the scar over his eye had disappeared.

“Hello Master,” said Anakin. “What wrong? Are the kids giving you trouble?”

“Kids?”

But Anakin didn’t hear him, his attention was drawn to someone else. That’s when Obi-Wan noticed the other person in the room.

“Obi-Wan doesn’t have trouble with the kids Ani,” said Padmé, “that’s _you_.”

“Ah, right.”

“Where are they, anyway?” Padmé asked him.

“Umm.” Obi-Wan didn’t know how to respond. Kids? Anakin and Padmé? Did they have a relationship? And how did they manage it with the Jedi Code?

“Right here,” said a voice behind Obi-Wan.

Two children, no more than five, and barreling around Obi-Wan towards Anakin and Padmé. Anakin scooped up the girl and Padmé the boy.

“Leia, Luke,” said Anakin, “what do you say to your aunt and uncle for watching you?”

“Thank you,” said the girl.

“Thanks,” said the boy.

Aunt and uncle? Obi-Wan had a feeling they weren’t referring to Ahsoka. He turned.

“_Satine?_”

Satine stood in the doorway. She smiled at him.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him, “you look pale.”

She looked so real. The way she looked at him… the way she walked. Everything was exactly what he remembered. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was.

Hesitantly, he smiled.

“No. Nothing’s wrong.”

Ahsoka went and took Leia from Anakin. She put the girl on her shoulders. Leia seemed to very much enjoy that. She laughed wildly.

“Come on,” said Ahsoka. “time to go downstairs for dinner.”

Ahsoka led the way. Padmé followed with Luke. Then Anakin.

“Are you coming?” asked Satine.

Obi-Wan looked at her. _Thank your aunt and uncle._ Did that mean…

“Dear, are you sure you’re alright?” she asked, putting a hand on his forehead, “you look sick.”

He kissed her. A real kiss. Not like the ones they used to steal when they were both children. This was one of love, and without guilt, or doubt. At first, she seemed startled, but not for more than a second. When he pulled away, she smiled.

“I’m perfect,” he said.

They followed the group downstairs. In the back of Obi-Wan’s mind, there was something nagging at him. But he pushed it to the side. This was everything he ever wanted. Anakin was happy and with Padmé, Obi-Wan was with Satine. Anakin was a father. Ahsoka was still part of the order, as was Obi-Wan and Anakin. He didn’t know how, but for some reason they were allowed to do have attachments and be Jedi.

Obi-Wan entered the dining hall. Luke ran up to him, and Obi-Wan didn’t hesitate to pick him up.

“I was wondering when you would make it.”

That’s when it became too good to be true. Obi-Wan turned, but he already knew the owner of the voice.

“Master Qui-Gon,” he said.

Qui-Gon smiled kindly, gesturing to the table. “Are you coming?”

Obi-Wan stared at his Master. This was it. His perfect life. Everyone he loved was with him. There was no death, none of the sadness that seemed to follow Obi-Wan wherever he went. The absence of that sadness is what seemed to wake him up.

Obi-Wan sighed. The voice in the back of his head was becoming too strong, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“No,” he said.

He let Luke down. The group looked at him. They were all emotionless.

“Why not?” asked Satine.

“Because it’s not real,” he turned to her. “you’re dead.” He looked at his Master. “And so are you.”

Ahsoka was glaring at him, as though angry that he was ruining the illusion. “And Ahsoka… you’ll never forgive me for taking part in your expulsion. This isn’t real. This can never be real.”

They said nothing. Slowly, the image faded into blackness. It swallowed Luke and Leia first. Then Qui-Gon and Ahsoka. Then Padmé… and finally Satine. Obi-Wan watched her go with a sickness in his heart.

He turned to look at Anakin. But Anakin wasn’t there anymore. The masked Sith had replaced him. The mechanical breathing filled Obi-Wan’s head. The Sith hefted his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan did not fight back. It wasn’t real. He simply stood and waited for the blow he knew would never come.

When Obi-Wan opened his eyes, he was in sunlight. He whipped a tear from his face. His hands shook at the effort it took to let go of that perfect world.

Serenity appeared before him. She said nothing, so he spoke first.

“I almost stayed there,” he admitted. “in that illusion.”

“_What you saw was a manifestation of your greatest temptation. What you want most in the Universe_.”

“It felt so real.”

“_In your mind, the image is very real. But it is important, especially in the future that awaits you, to put aside your own desires, and face the harsh reality_.”

Obi-Wan looked up at the Priestess. He understood his place in the Universe at last. The vision had shown him: he would not get a happy ending. That was not his purpose. And he would have to except that.

“How do you know so much?” he asked, “who—what are you?”

Serenity reached upwards and took off her mask. But there was nothing underneath. The cloak fell, empty, to the ground in front of him.

“_We have achieved what you seek and live between the realms_.”

“You’re dead?”

“_Yes_.”

Obi-Wan stared at the cloak in front of him. He still didn’t know how… He understood himself, sure, but how was he supposed to keep himself from passing into the Cosmic Force?

“How should I complete me training?” he asked.

The four other Priestesses appeared before him. It looked odd seeing them without their leader.

“_You must face the ultimate test_” said Confusion, “_the ultimate seduction_.”

“_You must travel to Moraband_,” said Sadness.

“Moraband?” said Obi-Wan, “I can’t. Sidious is hunting me, if I go there, he will find me.”

“_Good!_” said Anger, “_you must travel to the ancient home world of the Sith, face all that you fear. All that HUANTS YOUR SOUL!_”

The Priestesses vanished just like Serenity, cloaks falling into a heap. Obi-Wan stared at them. He had been utterly terrified of them while they were teaching him, but now that they were gone… he felt lost without their guidance.

…

As Obi-Wan piloted the ship back to the surface of the planet he realized he had no idea what he was going to say to his friends.

For one, he had been gone for an insanely long time. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious (twice on this planet alone), but he assumed it had been a while… They must be besides themselves.

But it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as it would be when he told them their next stop. How was he going to travel to the planet of the Sith? There was no way they could protect him there.

He flew up and out of the nearest crater and saw his friends only a few hundred meters away. He landed beside them, trying to formulate what he was going to say next.

“Back already?” asked Windu.

“Already?” said Obi-Wan, “how long have I been gone?”

“Fifteen minutes at most,” said Anakin.

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. “That’s all?”

“How long did it feel?” Asked Plo.

Obi-Wan chuckled, “honestly? It felt like days.”

“Sounds like Mortis to me,” said Anakin.

“You have no idea.”

He took his lightsaber back from Anakin. He was going to need it at his next stop, he was sure.

“So,” he said, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“Oh yeah?” said Vos, “let’s hear it.”

“Only one more stop.”

The group did seem to see that as good news. They all smiled, breathing sighs of relief.

“That is good,” said Windu. “Hopefully we can get through this without a fight.”

“Well…” said Obi-Wan, “I wouldn’t get too excited.”

“What?” said Anakin.

Obi-Wan could see their faces shift from confusion to horror as he told them where he had to go next.

“No,” said Vos. “You’re going to have to find some other way.”

“I can’t.”

“Why would you—what?” said Anakin.

“I’m sorry,” said Fives, “I’m must be new. What’s so bad about going to this—”

“—Moraband,” Shaak ti explained. “It’s the home world of the Sith. Every Sith is bound to it. The minute we step foot on the planet Sidious will sense our presence.”

“He’ll come to face us immediately,” said Master Plo.

“If he is not already there,” said Windu, “we have no real proof that he is not hiding on Moraband somewhere. It would explain why we haven’t been able to find him.”

“Let’s not go that far,” said Obi-Wan, “we’ve searched Moraband before, the planet has always proven to be abandoned.”

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to let you walk around on your own,” said Anakin.

The others nodded their head in agreement. Obi-Wan sighed.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” he asked, “I can’t go back to Coruscant, not when I’ve come so far. If I turn back now, I’ll just be letting Sidious kill me. Eventually one of his attacks are going to be successful.”

“One of us goes with you,” said Anakin, “if we go to Moraband we can’t let you out of our sight.”

“Anakin these are _trials_. They’re tests for me. If another Jedi comes with me you’ll help me with them. It won’t count.”

“What if it’s not a Jedi?”

The group looked at Cody. He shifted uncomfortably and then continued.

“I could go with you, General. If something goes wrong, I might be able to help. At the very least I could call for backup.”

The group seemed hesitant but Obi-Wan smiled widely. “Perfect,” he said. “The rest of you can at least protect me from anything coming towards the planet. But I’ll have to deal with what resides there by myself.”

Anakin looked furious, but Obi-Wan ignored him. As they piloted their way off of the planet, he couldn’t help but remember what Anakin had looked like: little Leia on his hip, Padme holding Luke by his side… He had forgotten what it was like to see his friend so happy… He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Anakin so happy. Suddenly, Obi-Wan grew sad again. He could accept not getting a happy ending for himself… but what of Anakin? He shook himself slightly. There was nothing to say Anakin’s future would come true. He had to focus on the present, and let the future be the future. 


	19. Chapter 19

“Alright, Cody. You ready?”

Cody strapped his gun to his side, glancing over the deserted planet.

“I’m ready, sir.”

“You’re crazy, that’s what you are,” muttered Rex at his side.

Cody understood where he was coming from. The unspoken rule of all Clones was to let Jedi do the Crazy Force Stuff by themselves. If this trip could be categorized, it would definitely be under “Crazy Force Stuff.”

“Alright then.”

The General turned to the group.

“I’d expect an attack pretty soon.”

Windu nodded, “we’re sending out a small signal. Enough to look like a mistake. The Separatists will hopefully come to us first. We’ll keep them occupied.”

“_Please_ be careful,” said the General.

Vos chuckled, “you first.”

“I’m serious,” he said, “I don’t need your deaths on my conscience. Just… hold them off. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“We’ve got this, Obi-Wan,” said General Skywalker.

General Kenobi looked at his friend for a moment. Something flickered behind his eyes, sadness? But as soon as it came, it was gone, and the General smiled turned away.

“Good luck, my friend,” said General Plo, “and may the Force be with you.”

The General smiled kindly at this, and then Cody followed him into the planet of the Sith.

After a few minutes of walking, General Kenobi broke the silence.

“Nervous?” he asked

“Yes.”

“Me too,” he chuckled.

“Sir? What exactly are we walking into?”

“I have no idea,” said the General, “but speaking of which, I need to set up a few ground rules.”

“Rules?”

The General stopped, holding his hand out to stop Cody.

“Yes,” he said, “Cody, I know that you feel rather protective of me. Especially over the past month or so, when I’ve… well, since I haven’t been at my best.”

Cody said nothing. Where was this going?

“But this planet is a test, a trial that I have to go through. It supposed to make me face my fears. So that I can defeat them. Or at least understand them.”

Face his fears? What was that supposed to mean? How was this planet going to make the General face his fears?

“That means everything we meet here will most likely be terrifying. Much of it will try to hurt me… I need you not to interfere with the trial. This is something I have to face on my own.”

“But if they try to hurt you—”

“They won’t hurt me,” said the General, “they’ll just appear to.”

“If I can’t protect you, what am I doing here?”

“Some of the Separatist group is bound to get around our friends,” said the General. “I’ll be so engrossed in the trial; I won’t even notice if we are attacked. You’re my eyes and ears. You can protect me while I complete the trial. But you can’t protect me from the trial itself.”

“How will I know the difference.”

“How about this. Ruler number one: if it’s confusing, don’t shoot it.”

Cody nodded, fair enough.

“Rule number two, don’t try to shield me from anything. If something jumps out at us, back away and let me handle it.”

Cody’s insides squirmed uncomfortably. That was going to be difficult. Both of these were going to be difficult. Cody would be going against instinct.

“And rule number three. If I fall unconscious, don’t wake me.”

“_What?_”

He said it louder than he meant to. His voice echoed through the rocky terrain.

“I mean—” he backtracked, “You think you’re going to fall unconscious?”

“I lost consciousness twice on the last stop. Once more on Dagobah.”

“What—are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Cody.” He put a hand on Cody’s shoulder. “These trials mess with my head. They’re very disorienting. It’s not uncommon to lose consciousness after your brain tries to comprehend something like that.”

“Why shouldn’t I wake you up?”

“I need to get through it on my own,” he said.

Cody didn’t like this. He didn’t like this at all. General Kenobi was asking him to stand and watch as the world tore him apart. He had fallen unconscious _twice_ on the last planet? What had that place done to him? What was _this_ place going to do to him? What was the General putting himself through? Was it worth it?

“I need you to agree to the rules, Cody,” said the General.

“I—” he couldn’t agree. This went beyond trusting the General’s abilities. This was him becoming a bystander as the General destroyed himself. The General was so desperate to get back onto the battlefield he was ready to run himself into the ground.

“Cody,” the General said gently. “This is something I have to do. I refuse to be hunted any longer.”

“What are you even trying to learn?” Cody asked, “what’s this power that’s going to suddenly make Sidious stop?”

General Kenobi smiled. “You have to keep it a secret,” he told him.

Cody nodded, anything to know.

“I’m learning to preserve my consciousness after death.”

“… what?”

“After these trials are over, the future Master Yoda saw will be set in stone, but in the future… I’m going to die before my mission is complete. With this power, I’ll be able to manifest myself after death. I’ll still be able to teach the boy in Yoda’s prophecy.”

“You—you’re going to _die?_”

“Hopefully not for a long time,” said the General, “but yes. This power will ensure the future of the Light. If I’ve been tasked with teaching this child, I’ll need to be with them even after my death.”

Cody stared at him. Did he realize how crazy he sounded? “So… the power you’re learning is… Immortality.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “in a way, yes.”

“But…” Cody didn’t get it. Why didn’t every Jedi learn this power? For one, it would make the war a lot easier.

“Only a few are chosen to be taught,” said the General, as though reading Cody’s mind. “Cody… you have to promise to follow the rules. We’re in the home stretch, I’m so close.”

Cody sighed. He didn’t like it. But he could do it.

He nodded.

“Alright,” said the General. “Let’s get going, shall we?”

They walked along for perhaps an hour, then, quite suddenly, the General pushed Cody to the side.

“Look out!”

Cody wasn’t expecting it, he landed on his face. He turned, looking around, trying to find an enemy. But there wasn’t one. He had just registered that the General had jumped in the other direction when the ground where they had been standing exploded.

A geyser of dirty water burst from the spot. Cody curled up, protecting his face as some of the water landed on him. Luckily, it wasn’t boiling, just a little hot. It didn’t burn him.

Cody stood when the geyser had finished. He brushed himself off and walked towards the General.

“Thanks,” he said.

“My pleasure… this planet is so odd. It doesn’t appear that this spot has ever been ruptured like that before.”

“A one-time-only geyser?”

“It appears so.”

How could you tell it was about to explode?”

“The ground began to bubble. It was basically liquifying before my eyes. I’m lucky to have noticed it at all. It was very subtle.”

Cody hated this planet. They hadn’t even gotten to the trials yet and it was trying to kill them.

They ran into three more geysers. But now Cody was looking out for them. He noticed each one. The general hadn’t been exaggerating. The ground appeared to be bubbling like melted chocolate. The stone ground appeared to be liquifying.

It was a good thing he saw them all, because the farther into the planet they traveled, the less in touch with reality the General became. For the first one, the General noticed around the same time as Cody. They both leapt to the side as the water shot skyward. The second geyser required Cody to call a quick warning. But the third…

“General looked out!”

But the General didn’t seem to register what he had said. He looked at Cody with surprise. Cody tackled him to the ground as the geyser exploded.

“Thank you,” he said when Cody let him up, “my mind was… elsewhere. I’m afraid I forgot all about the geysers.”

Cody didn’t like that at all. Forget the trials, if they were attacked by droids Cody wasn’t sure the General would be able to defend himself.

But then again… that’s why Cody was there, right?

It was another twenty minutes before the general suddenly stopped.

Cody didn’t say anything. He just stood back a little, looking around, wondering what was so special about this spot.

The General sat down, cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

He was meditating? Now? Cody laid a hand on his blaster. He didn’t like this one bit. The General looked completely exposed.

Time passed, Cody wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that: The General meditating in the middle of an overgrown courtyard, Cody standing a few feet away, his hand on his blaster. It must have been a very strange picture.

It was getting dark. Cody did not want to be here at night, but the General still hadn’t moved an inch. Were their friends being attacked already? Cody took out his macrobinoculars and looked into the upper atmosphere. No ships. Good.

That’s when something crawled over him foot.

He jumped backwards, startled, trying to look at what had crawled on him.

It was a centipede, black and oily. It wriggled and scuttled over Cody’s foot and towards the General. Cody grabbed his blaster, something about the creature felt wrong: dark. But as he went to pull the trigger, he stopped.

The General wouldn’t want him to shoot it. It was confusing, that meant it was off limits. He bit his lip and put the blaster back in its holster. It was just a bug, what could it do?

The bug had friends.

Suddenly, Cody could barely see the ground. The little creatures were everywhere. They made no noise, they just slinked around Cody and towards the General.

Cody was about to warn him when the General opened his eyes. 

He looked at the floor around him, as though not at all surprised by the sudden infestation.

Cody was going to throw up. He forced himself to calm down. They were just bugs. What could the do?

Never, ever challenge the power of Crazy Force Stuff. The bugs converged in front of General Kenobi, piling together and creating… Well creating a much bigger bug.

“_WE ARE THE SITH”_ it said.

Cody fell backwards on his ass. It was talking, towering over the General, who was still sitting on the ground in front of it.

“I will not be intimidated,” said the General.

Cody was very, very intimidated. He was impressed at the General’s composure.

“_WE SHALL SEE_.”

The creature dove down on top of the General, Cody moved to stand, but the General had it under control. He took out his lightsaber and lifted it above him. The creature seemed to dissolve in the light.

For a moment, everything was silent. Cody stayed on the ground, waiting a few seconds.

Then figures rose from the ground around the General. There were at least thirty of them, made of mist and smoke, their faces were fire. They encircled him.

Cody scuttered backwards, watching from outside of the circle. He would have loved to say that he was following the General’s rules, but in all honesty, he was just terrified. But the figures paid him no mind, focusing on the General.

The General stood, lightsaber drawn, but he didn’t seem to have a great need to use it. He looked at the figures with mostly interest.

They swirled around him, making it hard for Cody to even see the him. Eventually, they spoke.

“_There is no life after death. Only nothingness awaits you, Jedi_.”

The General extinguished his lightsaber, instead opting to shield his eyes from the dust storm that was being created around him.

“_Your fear feeds our hunger for power. They will know you are here. We will tell them. The Sith of your time will destroy you. You will die—and become nothing_.”

Then the image got even more terrible. Each creature dived towards the General one at a time. Each one hit him directly in the chest. He stumbled after each hit but didn’t fight back.

After the last hit, he fell to his hands and knees coughing.

The figures were gone, the planet stilled again. Cody scrambled to his feet and rushed to the General. He put a hand on his shoulder.

“General—!”

“I’m alright,” he said. He touched his chest. “I’m not hurt.”

They sat for a moment, while the General caught his breath. Cody was also breathing rather quickly. He was regretting this whole experience.

“‘They know you’re here’,” said the General, “‘we will tell them’.”

“Sir?”

“What they said, did you hear?”

“Kinda hard to miss that, General.”

“The Sith know I’m here. They’ll arrive in no time. We have to keep moving.”

“That wasn’t it?”

The General chuckled, as though he thought Cody was kidding. “I’m afraid not.”

…

Chancellor Palpatine sat alone in his office. He pressed a button on the underside of his desk. Immediately, the windows tinted, the doors locked. No one could see in.

He threw his hood up and flicked on the communicator.

“Master,” said his apprentice, Darth Tyranous.

“The Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is no longer on Coruscant. They have moved him to our home world.”

“Moraband,” said his apprentice. “They were foolish to bring him there. I shall rally the forces; he shall not return to Coruscant alive.”

“Good.”

The image flickered out. Darth Sidious dropped his hood, becoming, yet again, Chancellor Palpatine. He allowed the world to see into his office again, then called in his secretary.

“Ready my ship,” he told him, “I am going out.”

…

Cody looked out for more geysers, while also paying very close attention to the sky. Any second now the Separatists would attack them. Cody and the General moved quickly, but often the General was forced to stop and decide which direction to take.

“This planet is disorienting,” he noted at a crossroad. “It’s blocking where I should go…”

Cody didn’t know what that meant, but he wished it would stop. He hated being on this planet, waiting for the attack he knew was coming.

Finally, the ships arrived.

“Oh, shit,” he muttered.

There were three whole cursers. A whole armada of droids.

“What’s wrong?” said the General. He hadn’t noticed the ships.

“The Separatists have joined us, sir.”

The General looked up at the ships that were descending towards their friends.

“We have to hurry. Come on.”

The General led the way. The geysers were still causing problems. Twice more, they had to lung to the side as the planet attempted to drown them. However, they always managed to get out of range, and they eventually found themselves in a small canyon. On either side was a line of large stone statues that led to a set of double doors.

“A temple?” said Cody.

“A _Sith_ temple,” the General agreed.

“Who are the creepy guys?”

“Past Sith.”

Cody eyed the closest one. The old man scowled at him disapprovingly. He shuddered and followed the General towards the temple.

They were only a few feet away when Cody heard it: the soft clank of metal on stone behind them. The General seemed so engrossed in the Temple, he didn’t notice.

“General!” he pushed the General to the side just before the first shot went off. It whizzed past, dangerously close to the Jedi Master’s ear. Cody turned, facing the battle droid that had dropped from the side of the ravine. He took out his blaster, battle droids were definitely not against the rules.

He shot it in the head. It dropped.

“Are you alright, sir?” he said.

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Cody helped the General to his feet.

“Is it alone?” said the General.

It was not alone. Assassin droids bounced down from the ravine wall, at least thirty, maybe more. They must have snuck around their friends… but they appeared to be alone.

“Go sir, I’ll take care of this.”

“You can’t fight them by yourself,” he said, drawing his weapon.

“I’ve got an idea, sir. I’ll be alright, just go.”

The General didn’t seem pleased, but he turned and ran into the temple.

The last of the droids formed a line in the raven. He must have looked like a fucking idiot. One clone up against thirty assassin droids? The odds weren’t exactly with him. But Cody had never felt more in his element. With all the scary shit this planet had thrown at him? A droid attack was more than welcome.

They ran towards him, but he kept his ground. He shot down as many as he could as they approached, dodging their blasts. He managed to shoot down five before they were almost on top of him.

_Wait for it,_ he thought, _wait for it_.

Now.

He took out a thermal detonator and threw it to the base of the nearest statues.

It crumbled, crushing ten some-odd droids. The others simply climbed over it and kept coming.

Stupid droids.

He threw another detonator at the next statue. It came crumbling down on the next line of ten droids. Only two learned from their comrade’s mistake, leaping backwards.

Twenty-three out of thirty, dead. The last 7 seemed to have finally learned their lesson. They scattered, running at Cody from all directions. He shot one down on his left, another on his right, but the last five converged on him. One of them shot at him, he ducked, and the blast flew over his head.

He could feel his hair singe at how close it had come.

One of the droids behind him hit him with an electrolance, he fell to the floor, turning and shooting it before it could hit him again.

Four.

He stood quickly. The closest one pointed it’s blaster at Cody’s head. He grabbed the blaster, turning it so it shot another droid.

Three.

He ripped the blaster from the droid’s grip, pushing it backwards. He held the new blaster in one hand and his own in the other. He turned, shooting at the other droids.

One.

He felt a sharp kick in his back and fell forward, losing his grip on both blasters. Damn… those metal feet hurt. The droid kicked him again, and again. Cody coughed up blood. No. He couldn’t go out this way, beaten to death by a weaponless clanker.

He turned towards it, grabbing its foot.

It kicked him in the face.

Cody fell limp, he saw stars. He had a broken nose, he couldn’t breathe. Through watering eyes, he saw the droid pick up a blaster and point it at him. He couldn’t fight, he could barely stay conscious…

But then the droid vanished.

Literally vanished. Into thin air. Cody blinked, looking around. Where—? That’s when he noticed he could see clearly again. He touched his face. No blood came back on his fingers. His nose wasn’t broken. What the—?

“General.”

Cody jumped to his feet and ran towards the temple. He had no idea what was going on, but it had to involve the General. And Cody had to make sure he was alright.

Cody flipped on his night vision, looking around the dark temple. He didn’t see Master Kenobi anywhere.

“General?” he called hesitantly. No reply. Nothing moved, nothing made a sound.

Cody stepped forward quietly, looking around. At the end of a long hall there was a staircase at the foot of a statue, heading down to a basement level, but there was also a door on the opposite wall. Which had the General taken?

Cody approached the door. Locked. Did that mean the General couldn’t have used it? Not necessarily…

He went to the stairs. Something was off… There was a layer of dust on the floor around him – but surrounding the stair entrance there was nothing. Cody looked up at the tomb next to the stairs. Could that coffin have been hiding the staircase and pushed away?

Cody decided that was probably what happened. He ran down the flight of steps.

“General?” he called softly yet again.

Again, no reply.

He was officially getting nervous. Who had gotten rid of the droid? And healed him? He hoped the General hadn’t done anything stupid… like make some sort of deal with whatever made this planet tick.

When he reached the bottom of the steps he was forced to turn off his night vision, there seemed to be just enough light coming from the center of the room to disrupt it.

There was fire in the center. Blue fire. Cody figured that was where he should go.

But as he took his first step, his foot became caught in a crack in the stone floor, and he fell forward.

“Ow, oh come on.” Cody looked to see what he tripped over.

It wasn’t simply a crack, it seemed to be part of the floor’s design. A divot, about an inch deep and an inch wide, that seemed to encircle the flames. The small trench also branched towards the flames… the whole thing appeared to be a symbol… Cody had a weird feeling he had seen it before.

_It’s the symbol of the Sith_. Cody hated this entire planet. The Sith symbol was carved into the floor.

Why? What purpose did this trench have besides making Cody fall on his face? He turned on a small light and looked into the crevice. Some sort of rust caked the sides of it. Cody ran his finger along the edge and examined it closer.

He was on his feet like a shot. That wasn’t rust. That was _dried blood._ The Sith killed people in the center of the room and their blood would fill the trenches _creating the mark of the Sith_.

Who would the Sith put so much ceremonious effort into killing? Jedi_._

_The General._

Cody turned towards the center of the symbol and the blue fire, running towards it. The flame had created a circle around the very center of the alter. And lying in the center, on his back, palms up, eyes closed, was the General.

“General!”

Cody leapt over the flames, feeling for a pulse.

There was one.

Relief washed over him. He was alive. Thank the Force.

But the terror of seeing the General like that: laying ceremoniously in the middle of a Sith alter, it was too much for Cody. He broke rule number three.

“General!” he shouted, grabbing the Jedi’s shoulders and shaking him, “General wake up!”

He didn’t. There was the swish of a cloak behind Cody. Instantly, Cody jumped in front of the General, shielding him from whatever was in the darkness.

_There goes rule number two_, he thought.

“Who’s there!?” he called. Whoever it was, he was not going to let them hurt the General. Not while he was like this… Not when he couldn’t fight back.

Suddenly something swooped down on them from above. The figure was cloaked, but Cody could see its face, or at least the mask it had on. The mask’s face was twisted with rage.

“_You must not interfere!” _it shouted.

Cody toppled backwards in terror. He grabbed his blaster, and broke rule number one.

…

Obi-Wan hated leaving Cody’s side. He didn’t want to leave his Commander to fend for himself against so many droids. But he couldn’t help it. The temple called out to him, it seemed to pull at him. He simply couldn’t focus on anything else.

He left his friend and went through the double doors.

The entry hall was still and quiet. Except for the sound of blaster fire emanating from behind him. He ignited his lightsaber, mostly just to look around. At the far end of the hall stood a coffin before a large statue. Most likely of fallen Sith Lord. He approached the coffin, stopping a few feet away and turning off his lightsaber.

He waited. Nothing happened. He took a step closer to the coffin, then another.

That’s when the coffin to exploded. A fiery figure burst from the top, towering over him.

“_Why do you come to my tomb?_ Jedi.”

“I come to learn,” said Obi-Wan, “and to face my fears.”

“_Do you know who I am_?”

Obi-Wan thought about that for a moment. There was really only one Sith who would be honored in such a way.

“Darth Bane,” he said.

“_And do you know why I am not forgotten?”_

“You created the Rule of Two.”

The Rule of Two was a tradition the Sith still practiced. There could only be two Sith Lords at one time: A Master and an Apprentice. Usually, the bond between the Master and Apprentice broke when one killed the other and then searched for a pupil to become the next Apprentice. Personally, Obi-Wan had always seen it as a flawed system. But hey, it had worked so far.

“_So… why have you come before me? Have you come to be my Apprentice? You must kill me to gain my place.”_

Obi-Wan decided not to discuss the flaws of this ancient system to the man who invented it, though part of him really wanted to (if you know your apprentice is trying to kill you, you wouldn’t teach them everything you knew, right? So, the Sith will only get weaker with each generation, right? Right?).

“I can’t kill you,” Obi-Wan said instead, “you’re already dead.”

“_Then what stands before you?”_

“An illusion.”

“_You do not fear me?”_

_Fear what?_ Obi-Wan thought, _your flawed logic?_

“No. You don’t exist anymore.”

That seemed to do the trick. The apparition was pulled backwards into its tomb once again, and the coffin gave way to a set of stairs.

Obi-Wan looked down the stairs. He couldn’t see the bottom, but in the darkness that wasn’t saying much. It could be anywhere between ten steps and ten thousand steps down.

“_Obi-Wan._”

It was the Priestesses again. Oddly, Obi-Wan felt slightly calmed by the sound of their voice. He turned and saw them.

“And here I was thinking you wouldn’t be coming,” he told them, smiling.

Serenity floated forward. “_You have done well. But the worst is yet to come. Everything you have faced so far has been our creation, but once you descend the stairs, you will be beyond our reach_.”

“What is down there?”

“_It is the place where the Sith would sacrifice Jedi_,” she said. “_The Sith of your time will find you there. But be warry, for what they will offer may feel like an answer._”

Outside the hall, there was a large explosion. It took Obi-Wan just a second too long to understand what it was.

“Cody,” he said. He turned to the Priestesses, “I can’t go yet, I have to help my friend.”

“_We will protect the_ _Clone_,” said Serenity, “_you must complete your trials_.”

Obi-Wan bit his lip but nodded. He turned back to the staircase and began his descent.

…

The true ruler of Mandalore was in the throne room as usual when one of his loyal soldiers informed him of the incoming ship.

_Master_.

“Let him in.”

Maul turned off the display he was looking at. His Master’s plan was going well, hopefully he would be pleased.

Maul knelt when he entered the room. 

“Master,” he said.

“Rise, my servant,” said the hooded figure.

Maul stood, swallowing his anger at being referred to as “servant.” He used to be a Sith. Now he was an errand boy.

“We have the chance to strike a devastating blow to the Light,” said Darth Sidious, “but we must move quickly. I will require your assistance.”

“Master?”

“Do you feel the disturbance?”

Maul thought of a moment… He did. Something was off, as though the Darkness had been penetrated by one sole flicker of light. He dug deeper, trying to understand it.

“Kenobi,” he sneered.

“Very good,” said Sidious. “Your connection with him may just be strong enough for this. Come. We must hurry.”

Darth Sidious led Maul down into the lower levels of the Mandalorian palace. In an abandoned hall, he stopped, waved his hand, and created a basin in the middle.

“Come.”

Maul approached the basin, looking inside.

It was empty.

“You must use your connection with the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Feed into your hatred for him, and you shall appear to him on Moraband.”

“He will never approach me there, Master,” said Maul, “how will I lure him into our trap?”

“Tell me, my servant. Has your hatred for Kenobi resulted in any knowledge? Do you know the Jedi’s weakness?”

Maul thought for a moment. When he had first faced his enemy after Savage had found him, he had mistaken how to hurt him. Kenobi had hurt Maul by making him weak, damaging his pride, taking his power. He had made Maul feel… helpless. So, at first, Maul had attempted to do the same to Kenobi. With Savage’s help, they had overpowered him and taken him back to the ship. They had beaten him mercilessly. They made _him_ weak. They made _him_ helpless_._ But the Jedi’s resolve remained unharmed. He was defiant. He faced his punishment without fear.

Maul respected him for that.

It wasn’t until their next meeting that he began to understand his enemy. When Savage had killed that other Jedi… Kenobi had lost his dignity. His strength.

Like he had when Maul had killed Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo.

Maul’s theory had been proven when he took over Mandalore… When Kenobi had come to help his friend. He could still feel the pain and sorrow Kenobi had felt, kneeling over the body of the idiotic duchess. Finally, Kenobi had received a taste of Maul’s pain.

That was Kenobi’s weakness. He opened himself to loss.

“He is the Jedi with too many friends,” Maul said. That was what it boiled down to.

“Very good,” said Sidious, “and we are to use that willingness to love against him. You shall appear to him as a long-lost friend. One he would be quite eager to help.”

Darth Sidious held his hands above the basin and began to blast it with Force Lightning. Smoke began to rise from it.

“Enter the basin, my servant. And meet your enemy.”

…

Obi-Wan moved slowly down the last few steps. He emerged in a small, circular room. Near the center there was a blue light… Light from bonds made of some sort of force field. And there was a figure tied in the bonds… A girl. Her hands were bound above her head. The force ropes also tied down her feet and wrapped around her waist. Obi-Wan approached with caution.

The girl seemed to be unconscious… Obi-Wan was only a few meters away when he realized who it was.

“_Ahsoka?_”

Ahsoka looked up suddenly. Her eyes were yellow, she was dirty and thin. Obi-Wan didn’t understand. How was she here?

“Master,” she cried, “help me. I’ve been… trapped here… for so long.”

Obi-Wan rushed forward, but then stopped.

“How are you here?” he asked.

“I was… looking for answers,” he said. Obi-Wan winced, her voice was so weak, she looked starved. How long had it been since she had had food or water?

_No_. he told himself. This wasn’t Ahsoka. It couldn’t be. She knew better than to travel to the land of the Sith.

“Answers?”

“For why the council expelled me. I was… I—”

She shook, a tear streamed down her face, and all logic went out the window. Obi-Wan took the last steps forward and reached out to undo Ashoka’s bonds.

She vanished.

Around him a circle of blue fire erupted. He heard laughter. Sidious? No… Not Sidious. This was different… He knew that voice.

He couldn’t think, the world spun, the smoke from the blue flames cut off his air. He fell backwards into darkness.

…

It was as though Obi-Wan blinked and appeared somewhere else. He was looking around a corner to an abandoned hallway. The hallway looked familiar…

“See anything?”

Obi-Wan jumped slightly, looking behind him.

There were a lot of people behind him. They wore Mandalorian armor. _Mandalore_. _That’s_ where he was. He was in the outer edges of the palace.

“Well?”

It was coming from the Mandalorian next to him. A woman. Bo-Katan.

“I—um.” What was he supposed to be doing? Why was he on Mandalore? Why was Satine’s sister standing next to him as though he wasn’t responsible for her sister’s death?

“You alright, Kenobi?” said Bo-Katan, “The last thing we need is for the Jedi up our sleeve to be defective.”

“What are we doing here?”

Bo-Katan took off her helmet. “_What?_ Kenobi, this is _your _mission.”

“I…” Obi-Wan took a deep breath. _Pull it together_. There was only one reason he’d be on a mission with a member of Death Watch.

They were here to dethrone Maul.

“Right. Sorry, I got light-headed for a moment.”

He peaked back around the corner. It was clear. He waved them forward.

The group, made of himself, Bo-Katan, and six other Mandalorians made their way through the deserted hallways. Where were the guards? When he turned the corner, his question was answered for him.

Out the large window in the hall, he could see the Mandalorian Central Square.

It was a battleground.

Mandalore was ripping itself apart.

Maul’s guards were off fighting the main battle. And Obi-Wan’s small troop was headed towards Maul’s hiding place…

Yes. This was it. This was where he would make everything right. If they could stop Maul here, capture him now, it would all be over. They would save Mandalore, they would honor Satine’s memory.

They would honor Qui-Gon’s memory.

Obi-Wan led the group through the remaining halls and into the throne room.

The Zabrak was just… sitting there. Looking at the doors. Waiting for them.

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber. Around him, he heard his troop put up their weapons.

“It’s over, monster,” Bo-Katan spat at his side. “Surrender. Now.”

Maul chuckled. He stood. And that’s when his real guard ran forward.

At least twenty Mandalorians emerged from every corner of the throne room. They were surrounded.

“We’ll take care of them,” Bo-Katan said to Obi-Wan, “just get rid of_ him_.”

Obi-Wan nodded and attacked.

Maul dodged his first blow, blocking his second.

It was a full-fledged battle. Seven vs twenty with Maul and Obi-Wan dueling in the middle. Maul had two sabers drawn. His usual red, as well as the Darksaber that used to belong to Vizsla.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how long they fought. Every once in a while, a soldier on one side or the other would fall. Obi-Wan tried to protect his group as well as he could, cutting down any of Maul’s followers that came to close. But they were still losing badly.

Maul attempted to stab him through the eye. A big mistake. Obi-Wan sidestepped, turning around and pushing him backwards with the force.

Maul landed on his back a few meters away. Obi-Wan perused him, kicking his sabers to the side and putting his own at Maul’s throat.

“Surrender,” he said.

But just as Maul scowled at him, Obi-Wan heard Bo-Katan cry out in pain.

He turned to see her fall; her leg clearly broken. Ten Mandalorians surrounded her. Only one of Obi-Wan’s group, besides her, was still alive. And he seemed just as injured. He had to help her. But to do so he would have to lower his attack on Maul…

“Let them die,” said Maul, “and you can finally finish what we started on Naboo, all those years ago.”

He was right. That was the whole point of this, right? He would save Mandalore by finishing Maul here and now. Why shouldn’t he? If Bo-Katan was given the choice, she would give up her life for Mandalore in a heartbeat.

But no. There was a large jump from sacrificing yourself and sacrificing another. Obi-Wan turned off his lightsaber and faced the guards. He used all the strength he had, every ounce of his will. He pushed back the ten warriors.

They activated their jetpacks. Trying to work against him. But he held them in place.

“Run!” he told Bo-Katan.

She ran. Grabbing the only other living member of their group, they supported each other as they left the throne room. Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut, holding back the soldiers as they mercilessly fought him. Finally, Bo-Katan and the other soldier got clear. He gave them a few second’s head start, and then he collapsed.

The guards surrounded him, but they did nothing. He was not theirs to kill. He turned, watching Maul rise from the ground and take out his lightsaber. Obi-Wan had no strength left. He would never be able to fight his way out of this.

So he didn’t try.

Maul stood over him. They made eye contact for only a moment before his lightsaber plunged into Obi-Wan’s chest.

…

Maul straightened again, rising from the basin. He looked at his Master. The dissatisfaction was evident even with half his face shrouded with his hood.

“How… disappointing,” he said. “It appears Master Kenobi is stronger than I had initially anticipated.”

Maul relaxed slightly. He wasn’t mad.

“Though your failure is upsetting… My apprentice may salvage this mission.”

Maul scowled at this again. Darth Tyranous. He hated the name, even though he had never met to whom it belonged. A Sith should never be forced to live to see himself replaced.

“Know your place, my servant.”

Maul winced. He forgot his Master’s abilities to know his thoughts.

“You have a part to play. Stick to it, or you know your fate.”

Maul bowed. Showing he understood. But as his Master left, he grinded his teeth together.

He hoped this ‘Darth Tyranous’ failed. He hoped Kenobi struck him down. Because there was one thing Maul knew for certain:

Kenobi would die by his blade, or he would die at Kenobi’s

…

“_Obi-Wan_. _Come back to us Obi-Wan._”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes. All he saw was Serenity’s masks floating above him.

“Am I dead?”

“_In a way_.”

He took that as a no. He sat up, rubbing his head.

“Did I pass?” he asked, “can I be trained?”

“_Yes,_” said Serenity, “_the one you know as Qui-Gon Jinn will commune with you and guide your training. Like us, you shall learn to maintain your consciousness after death._”

Serenity started to glow, vanishing into light. However, as she went Obi-Wan started to hear odd noises. Noises that had no business being in a Sith temple. Warp drives, blaster fire, the clash of lightsabers, the howls of some sort of creature… something he had never encountered. Never encountered yet, that is. And then there was a voice, just barely audible:

“_If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine_.”

Obi-Wan could just barely recognize the voice. It was his. Serenity was showing him the future. _His_ future. His death.

These would be his last words.

He could have been depressed by them. He could have been. After all, they proved that he does not live a full life. He is struck down by someone. He dies in combat. He dies young. But instead, his heart warmed at them.

He succeeded.

These trials, this training, it was all worth it. He would become powerful after death. He would fulfill his prophesy.

The words ensured the future of the Light.

Serenity glowed brighter and brighter, until she disappeared and Obi-Wan was left utterly alone.

Silence surrounded him. But also this sense of... what was it? Safety? Maybe?

It was more like confidence. Obi-Wan had never felt more confident about his own abilities. Knowing his future, even the horrors it held, made life feel... predictable. He felt that he could accomplish anything. He felt like he could never lose. Even when he knew the violent death that awaited him, he felt victorious.

Obi-Wan looked around the Temple. It was time to go, that much was sure. He could see three different staircases out of the room he was in… But he couldn’t remember which he had used.

Before he could pick a direction, light emerged at the bottom of the staircase to his left. There was Sadness. She floated silently, staring at him. He walked to the stairs, and just before he reached her, she disappeared.

Obi-Wan climbed the stairs. The Priestesses seemed to be leading him off the planet. Good. He had been so engrossed in the trial he hadn’t paid any attention to where he was going. Sure, maybe Cody had been keeping track but—

Cody! Oh shit, Obi-Wan forgot about Cody. Was he alright? The Priestesses said they would protect him… But where was he?

Obi-Wan ran up the stairs two steps at a time. Was it possible the fight was still going on? How long had Obi-Wan been… Unconscious? It was hard to believe he hadn’t actually been transported to Mandalore and back.

He emerged in the temple’s entrance hall again. No Cody. Where was he?

Obi-Wan ran outside, heart pounding. He couldn’t lose Cody. 

The first thing Obi-Wan noticed were the toppled statues. Then the dismantled droids… this was all good. _I think_.

That’s when he noticed another Force Priestess, her back to him.

Good, he could ask her where Cody was. He ran up to her, and about three meters away, she turned.

Obi-Wan jumped backwards in surprised, clutching his heart. From what he could tell, it was Anger, but her face (mask?) had a blaster shot right in the center.

She looked even more terrifying than usual.

“Oh my—what—?”

But Anger didn’t say anything, she just vanished like her cousins before her.

“General?”

Obi-Wan had been so focused on Anger he hadn’t even noticed who had been sitting on a piece of Sith statue only a few feet away.

“Cody!” said Obi-Wan. “Thank goodness, I got worried.”

Cody looked shell-shocked, he looked from Obi-Wan to the place where Anger had vanished and back.

“I broke some rules.”

Rules? What did he mean by—oh. “You shot the priestess?”

“It jumped out at us.”

“Us?”

“I found you. In the temple. You were laying on a sacrificial alter… I tried to wake you, but it jumped out telling me to stop and I shot it.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “I’m alright Cody. This place did a number on me… But I’m alright. Let’s get back to the others. Hopefully the fighting isn’t too out of hand.”

He helped Cody to his feet.

“So…” he said, “did it work? Are you… immortal?”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Not immortal. Not yet. That’s going to take a lot of training. Most likely after the war is over. But I shouldn’t be dying any time soon.”

Cody smiled at this. He didn’t ask any more questions, which Obi-Wan appreciated. Instead, they both turned away from the temple and ran back to meet their friends.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys. Honestly, this is the first piece of fan fiction I've actually finished and I hope it was as fun to read as it was to write :) 
> 
> Thanks so much for all the amazing comments. I really love them! 
> 
> I'm in the middle of writing another Clone War Kenobi piece because I can't get enough so keep an eye out, I might be posting soon :D
> 
> I hope you all like the ending. Enjoy!

Honestly, it was hard for Rex to remember a time when he didn’t hate everything and everyone.

He hated the Sith for trying to hurt General Kenobi, but he was also having a pretty hard time liking the Jedi at the moment, considering their bantha-shit logic.

‘Let’s go to the home of the Sith and take on an armada of droids with only five Clones and five Jedi’. Because that made sense.

Oh, and did he mention the droids? Because, _God_, did Rex hate the droids. Particularly now, since one was on top of him and trying to rip his head off.

Their small group had landed the ship in the perfect geological location. They were in the middle of a ridge, surrounded by natural borders on all sides. There was no room for the Separatists to land except outside the barriers. Then they had to climb through the rough terrain. So, instead of a thousand something droids attacking them all at once, it was a staggering attack of about fifty every fifteen minutes.

It was better. Not great, but better.

They had actually been doing pretty well. Sure, Dooku was there, so that sucked, but Generals Windu and Shaak ti kept him occupied. And then, when Windu was forced to put his attention elsewhere (droids kept trying to blow up their ride home) General Skywalker took over.

Everything was fine until a droid decided blasters were for suckers.

The clanker tackled him from behind, grabbing at his face.

What… what was it trying to do? Snap his neck? It must have been defective. But still… it was trying to kill him and was honestly doing a pretty good job.

Rex punched it. Great. Now he had a droid on top of him _and _his hand hurt.

The droid’s eyes flickered slightly. Had he actually done something? Yep, looks like Rex had managed to punch the droid’s circuits back in working order. It snatched Rex’s blaster from a few feet away and pointed it at his face.

Rex lifted his arms up, trying to grab the blaster. He heard a shot and winced, but nothing hit him.

What—?

The droid fell on top of him. One of his brothers must have seen he was in trouble. Rex threw the scraped droid to the side and looked around.

None of his fellow clones seemed to be looking in his direction… Or in any situation where they could afford to help him.

Before he could become too confused another droid appeared in front of him. He reached for his blaster, but as he raised it another shot went off from behind him, and the droid went down.

Rex turned.

“Cody!”

The commander held out his hand and help Rex to his feet. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“This planet, man,” Cody said, exasperated, “I hate it.”

“You should be protecting General Kenobi.”

“He seems to be doing just fine without me.”

Rex turned, scanning the battlefield. There he was. The Jedi Master had his lightsaber drawn, cutting down droid after droid. Rex would have said he was back to his old self… but something seemed off.

“Does he look… more relaxed than usual?” Rex asked.

“Yeah, it’s annoying the crap out of me.”

“Whatd’you mean?”

Cody held out his hand, it had a tremor. Now that was strange. Clones were designed to withstand any stress that might come from a battle. Rex couldn’t remember the last time a Clone’s hands shook. Especially not Cody, who was one of the best.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“This planet has scarred me for life! Honestly, dead Sith lord ghosts, bugs that merged together to create bigger bugs, creepy cloaked figures in masks. I _shot _something in the _face_ and it just kept yelling at me. It wasn’t even _fazed_. I nearly shit my pants. But the General comes out of a fucking _Sith temple _like he just returned from holiday.”

Rex chuckled, patting his friend on the back sympathetically.

The others were starting to notice General Kenobi had returned. Master Plo Koon leapt to his side, guarding him. But it was clear he didn’t need to be guarded. No droid got close enough to be a problem. Every shot fired in his direction became imbedded in the droid that had fired it.

“Skywalker, Shaak ti!” Windu yelled, still defending the ship. “Let’s go!”

Dooku didn’t like that. He spotted General Kenobi and gave a cry of anger. He kicked Skywalker to the ground a few feet from him. Then he turned and pushed Shaak ti away with Force Lightning. He jumped forwards, landing between General Kenobi and the ship.

The General raised his lightsaber, but Masters Plo Koon, Windu, and Vos were way ahead of him. It must have been the protective instinct all of the Jedi had developed for General Kenobi. They all jumped in front of Kenobi immediately, attacking Dooku at once.

Dooku took advantage of their haste. It made them sloppy.

Master Vos went down first. Dooku swept at his feet with his lightsaber, causing Vos to flip to avoid it. Once he landed, slightly off balance, Dooku knocked him over the head and kicked him. He fell backwards and did not rise again.

Master Plo Koon tried to take that moment to catch Dooku off his guard. He stabbed at the Sith Lord, but Dooku simply dodged the blow. Then, Windu attacked with lightning speed, but Dooku turned and blocked. Dooku in turn attacked Windu, which cause Plo Koon to attempt to use his sudden drop in guard.

It was a trap. Dooku turned off his lightsaber, leaving Windu with nothing to block. He sidestepped Master Plo Koon’s blow, causing the Jedi to fall forward, and kicked him down and to the side.

Dooku’s hand went inside his pocket for a moment. Windu struck again, trying to take advantage of the Count’s weakness, but Dooku seemed to have activated something. Three gunners came barreling down at the fight. They rained blaster fire down on small ravine. Suddenly everyone was ducking for cover.

Rex and Cody lunged to the side. They met Fives and Waxer at the ship, ducking underneath it before the blaster turned them into swiss cheese. The kneeled down, trying to protect the ship in case any droids tried to destroy it. 

But the ship was not their biggest problem.

The gunners were gone, but what they had left behind… Droids, Clones, and Jedi alike had been forced to the rim of the ravine. Everyone was on the floor. Generals Vos and Plo Koon appeared to be unconscious. Yikes… What had happened? Vos had been knocked unconscious in the fight but Plo Koon? He must have been hit in the head by something… maybe one of the rocks that had fallen from the ravine wall.

General Skywalker was on one knee, a snarl on his face, but he didn’t stand. No one dared stand.

They were at a stale mate. If any of the droids moved first, the Jedi and clones would have an easy time cutting them down. If any of the Jedi or clones moved first, the droids would surely shoot them full of laser bolts.

The only two members of the fight that had any ability to move were the two that were not forced to run for cover: General Kenobi, who was so skilled at deflecting shot blasts he had not needed any natural protection, and Count Dooku, the only one the gunners hadn’t been shooting at.

Was this Dooku’s plan all along? The droids stayed down, letting the Count finish his mission. Their blasters were trained on the Jedi and the Clones. If any of them moved in offensive, they would have to drop their guard… they’d be cut down immediately. Even if they managed to dodge the blasts, there was still Generals Vos and Plo Koon. They were completely exposed. Any attack would be sacrificing their lives.

They couldn’t join the fight.

It had gone from a battle between two armies to a one on one dual between Dooku and General Kenobi.

And all the rest of them could do was watch.

…

The first thing Obi-Wan did was make eye contact with Anakin.

_Don’t do it_.

If Anakin decided to take the risk and come to his aid, he would be shot down, not to mention what would become of Vos and Plo. Obi-Wan had to handle this without him. Anakin would just have to deal with that.

He didn’t look happy, but he stayed on one knee.

“Master Kenobi,” said Dooku, “you were foolish to come _here_ of all places. The planet gives me strength.”

Lies. It was a lie. Obi-Wan could feel the power of the planet all around him. He understood it. The darkness was powerful… but also chaotic, unpredictable. It’s message to Dooku was clear: you prove yourself; we do not interfere. The Sith were never one to help their own— They were one to test their own.

Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber defensively.

“_You’re_ foolish to call its power yours. The Dark Side helps no one. Your strength is an illusion.”

That only seemed to enrage the Count. Obi-Wan decided the angrier Dooku was, the sloppier he would be.

“You’re Master just tried to defeat me,” said Obi-Wan. He could feel his friends around the ravine stiffen in shock, but he paid them no mind. He would explain what he could later. “He failed. But you think you will succeed?”

“You survived from luck, not skill,” said Dooku, “your arrogance will be your downfall.”

_Survived?_ So Dooku didn’t know what his Master had done. What he and Maul had attempted. They had not tried to kill Obi-Wan. They had tried to turn him to the Dark Side. To destroy him from the inside out. Dooku was left out of the loop. Dooku was not a part of Sidious’s entire plan. He never has been.

“I’m not arrogant. I’m right.”

Only now did Obi-Wan truly see Dooku for what he was. The Count pointed his lightsaber at Obi-Wan, but the usual fear that Dooku carried with him was not there. Obi-Wan could still hear the mechanical breathing of the masked Sith. Compared to that Sith? Dooku was nothing. He was not threatening, there was nothing for Obi-Wan to fear. Dooku was simply a spot of history that would soon be replaced and forgotten.

Obi-Wan had a hard time being afraid of the present now that he knew the terrors of the future.

Dooku lunged.

It was as though the Count moved in slow motion. Obi-Wan didn’t move, he didn’t flinch. He wasn’t scared. Logic won over from fear. He waited for Dooku’s true intentions to reveal themselves.

And at the last second, they did.

Dooku’s grip on his lightsaber shifted. He was not trying to stab Obi-Wan through the heart, as Obi-Wan assumed, he was going to fake the first blow, and attempt to catch Obi-Wan off guard from behind.

Obi-Wan probably would have been able to survive it regardless, but it would have left him off his guard. It would set the odds of the entire fight against him.

So Obi-Wan didn’t block, he simply stepped to the side, letting Dooku rush past him. He kept the Sith Lord in his sights, striking out with his lightsaber.

It was now Dooku who was unbalanced.

It was so tempting to attack him like that. But again, Obi-Wan waited. Dooku wouldn’t stay off his guard for long, and Obi-Wan’s skill with a lightsaber revolved around defense. He shouldn’t be hasty.

Another good decision on his part. Dooku regained his resolve quicker that expected. He turned to Obi-Wan and struck again.

Obi-Wan blocked the attack, and the next. He rarely got an attack in, but that didn’t matter. Obi-Wan knew the truth. Dooku knew the truth. Every Jedi watching around the ridge knew the truth.

Obi-Wan was winning.

But Obi-Wan knew this fight couldn’t go on like this. His friends were too exposed. If Dooku decided he was truly in danger, he would use them against him. Obi-Wan had to end the fight suddenly, and he had to end it now.

And he saw, behind him slightly, the perfect opportunity starting to form.

But it would need a few moments before he executed it.

He blocked Dooku’s next attack, but instead of throwing the Sith backwards, he allowed them to become close, pushing against each other with their lightsabers. He spoke in a register that only Dooku could hear.

“You meant what you said, didn’t you? On Geonosis. You wanted me to join you. To be your assassin like Ventress was. But it was more than that. You wanted an apprentice. You wanted to dethrone Sidious. You still do.”

Dooku looked startled by this. He pushed Obi-Wan backwards, lunging forward and attacking again. But Obi-Wan just put them into another stalemate and spoke again.

“You want to kill him. You hate him. You think you’re doing the right thing by attempting to betray him.”

“Fool! You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“And you’re scared of him. Scared of what he’ll do to you if he finds out your schemes to kill him. Savage Oppress, Ventress, they were both just your attempts to become powerful enough to destroy him. You wanted Qui-Gon at first. You thought you would be strong enough with your old apprentice by your side. But when you learned of his death, you tried to settle for me.”

“I am loyal! You Jedi scum! I respect my Master.”

“No, you don’t. And he knows it. He knows all about your attempts. You think you’re the only one with plans? I’ve seen his plans for _you_ Dooku. And they’re the work of nightmares. He already has your replacement lined up, and he will be twice as powerful as you have ever been. You’re a means to an end. You’re not a real Sith, and you never will be.”

That did the trick. Dooku yelled in anger, and suddenly Obi-Wan felt a familiar pain. Force Lightning. His heart stopped beating as he was thrown backwards almost ten feet as the very air around them turned to pure electricity. He landed on his back, coughing and shaking. He didn’t stand to face Dooku, not that he could have even if he wanted to.

“Obi-Wan!”

It was Anakin. Obi-Wan made eye contact with him, trying to tell him to wait.

Anakin’s confusion only lasted a moment.

_Wham_, the geyser under Dooku exploded. The Sith was so angry, so preoccupied with wanting to hurt Obi-Wan, that he hadn’t paid any attention to where he was standing.

Thank the Force for his friend’s lightning reflexes. They were up on their feet in an instant. Cody, who had been the first to realize Obi-Wan’s plans, shot up first, grabbing Vos and dragging him towards the ship. Once he got over his shock, Rex helped him. Mace grabbed Plo Koon with Boil and followed them to the ship.

Anakin raced to Obi-Wan’s side.

Before Obi-Wan could tell him he was alright, Anakin grabbed him. He gently pulled Obi-Wan to his feet and guided him towards the ship. Obi-Wan leaned heavily on him, trying to move as quickly as possible.

They were all inside the ship before the geyser turned off.

The droids seemed to be getting over their confusion. They fired at them, but Anakin sat down behind the controls and they were off.

Dooku’s forces in atmosphere tried to stop them, but they were no match for Anakin. The boy expertly steered them through the blasts and out of harms way. He quickly activated the hyperdrive, and Moraband fell away behind them

…

Obi-Wan collapsed into one of the seats. He breathed heavy, still shaking from the Force Lightning. Worn to the bone from his fight with Dooku. But alive. Healthy, even. He felt like celebrating.

And everyone else seemed to feel the same way. Shaak ti leaned over Plo Koon, then Vos, both of them woke suddenly, as though remembering there was a fight.

“Wh—what?” said Vos, “where are we?”

“How did we get away from Dooku?” asked Plo.

The group chuckled slightly. Mace sat down next to Obi-Wan.

“It appears we had an ace up our sleeve.”

Obi-Wan smiled kindly, though he was still shaking like a leaf. The Force Lightning was leaving a nasty effect on his nerves.

Anakin sat down on Obi-Wan’s other side. “Did you really face Sidious in that place?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’m alright… It wasn’t an actual fight, of course. He couldn’t kill me there… I don’t think. He was trying to… I don’t know, turn me to the Dark Side? At the very least make me doubt myself. It didn’t work, I’m fine.”

His friends sat in stunned silence. Obi-Wan had to admit that said that way it sounded rather impressive. Not at all like he simply allowed Maul to stab him through the heart and woke up.

“So… Are you safe now? I mean, besides the obvious.”

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin. The boy must have been at his wits end for this entire affair. Little did he know that Obi-Wan would very rarely be safe from now on. But that wasn’t something Anakin needed to be burdened with.

“Sidious will stop his attack,” he said. It was almost telling the truth.

His friends collapsed with relief. There were smiles and claps on the back. Obi-Wan watched them all, though he felt very separate from them now… What he had gone through, it had changed him. And not just what he had experienced on Moraband.

Thinking back, Obi-Wan realized the three trials he had just completed were not the only training he had encountered. The Force had been testing him since Cato Neimoidia. The feeling of being alone, on the run, helpless. Of not knowing who to trust, of solitude and fake names. The Force was getting him ready for what was to come. This was the stuff his future was made of, and the Force had to make sure he was up to it.

It appeared he was.

Obi-Wan shook himself slightly and smiled, glancing at his friends. But that was the future. And the present had many more smiles, many more laughs. Anakin was still by his side, as was Cody, and the rest of the Jedi, and the rest of his men. He would enjoy what he had, and then, when the time was right, he would face his duty.

Epilogue

Obi-Wan waited patiently at the bar. The Wookie said he would be right over, something about informing a partner… It was fine, if this ride did not work out, he and Luke would simply find another.

Obi-Wan checked on the boy from across the bar. The air around him seemed to glow with warmth and hope, though Obi-Wan doubted anyone else could see it. Master Yoda had been correct, he knew Luke was the boy of the prophesy the first time he met him, when he held the boy in his arms as his mother passed away.

He had Anakin’s power, his kindness. He had Padmé’s determination and strength. But he also had both of their recklessness. Although, in the times of the Empire, recklessness could also be seen as courage.

To think there could be a person in the world that was a combination of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. No wonder he was so important… So compassionate.

The Wookie, Chewbacca, returned to the bar. Apparently, they could transport Luke and Obi-Wan off the planet, but it would cost them. Obi-Wan smiled to himself and told Chewbacca to lead the way.

Everything felt familiar. That sounded odd, of course, but it did. On the run, a city crawling with the enemy, trying to get off the planet without being noticed… merchants trying their hardest to cover up their hearts of gold. Obi-Wan had faced it all before. Of course, now the circumstances were much more dire. And Obi-Wan was protecting someone much more important than his own life. But now he was strong enough to face what lay ahead.

Luke sold his speeder to pay for transport off planet. He seemed very unperturbed by it. Obi-Wan guessed there was something else Luke had in common with his father: hatred for the planet with twin suns.

Obi-Wan looked to the Imperial cursers that circled above the planet. He smiled at them slightly.

It was about time he saw his young padawan again.

_Fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you think!


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